Yahya JammehYahya Abdul-Azziz Jemus Junkung Jammeh (born May 25, 1965) is the President of The Gambia. As chairman of the Armed Forces Provisional Ruling Council, he took control of the country in a military coup in July 1994, and was elected as president two years later, in September 1996, in widely criticized elections.[1] He founded the Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction as his political party. Jammeh was re-elected on October 18, 2001 with about 53% of the vote; this election was generally deemed free and fair by observers, despite some shortcomings
President Jammeh was formerly named Yahya Alphonse Jemus Jebulai Jammeh.
Jammeh has been accused of restricting freedom of the press. Harsh new press laws were followed by the unsolved killing of a reporter who had been critical of them, Deyda Hydara, in December 2004.[3] Jammeh has denied that security agents were involved in the killing.
Jammeh traveled to the United States to meet with Prince George's County, Maryland County Executive Jack Johnson in May of 2004. While in the Washington, DC metro area, he delivered the commencement address to the St. Mary's College of Maryland graduating class of 2004. The address highlighted his commitment to education since taking power in The Gambia. [More]
Source: wikipedia.org |