THE GAMBIAN CONSTITUTIONAL CRISIS AND THE ECONOMIC COMMUNITY OF WEST AFRICAN STATES PEACE OPERATION

Political stability appears to have returned to the Gambia since the constitutional crisis that confronted the Country following the controversial presidential elections of December 2016. ECOWAS through the indefatigable efforts of the ECOMIG and the resolve of most West African Countries helped to resolve the disputed polls and return normalcy to the small West African nation. The action of ECOWAS in the Gambia has been likened to in scientific literature, political discourse and the media to a military invasion, military diplomacy and/or peace operations. The preferred terminology to describe what transpired in the Gambia in this paper will be peace operation because of the emphasis the terminology lays on sustained stable peace and the civilian element intrinsic to the concept. Therefore, this article critically highlights the political history of the Gambia from 1965 when the Country gained independence from the United Kingdom. The author attempt in this article using a historical approach to provide perspective as regards the political exigency that necessitated the ECOWAS intervention with the backing from the international community including, the African Union(AU) and the UN Security Council. President Jammeh shocked the whole world when on 9 December, 2016 he rejected the results of an election he already conceded calling for a new election.The author pays particular attention to the ECOWAS intervention in the Gambian constitutional crisis and the role ECOMIG played in restoring democracy, peace and stability in the country.