UN Representative for West Africa and the Sahel H.E Leonardo Santos Simão
His Excellency President Adama Barrow Thursday
received the new UN Representative for West Africa and the Sahel H.E Leonardo Santos Simão
on a tour to acquaint himself with the work environment.
During the audience, President Barrow congratulated him on his role while stating that he came
at a difficult time when the region is experiencing instability. The President referenced 2017
when the Presidents of some ECOWAS member countries assumed office through democracy to
bring development for their people.
President Barrow said the Mali situation was not addressed and set a precedent. ‘’Some citizens
are unhappy with their Presidents, and the root cause should be addressed because the military is
not a solution,’’ he observed.
The President also highlighted the Gambia’s human resource base and the expectations of the
young people while urging the UN to be Proactive in looking at challenges for Presidents to
respect term limits and to avoid unconstitutional changes.
He said the UN is an important partner and Grateful for its support for the TJ process. “Next is
the implementation stage, and we need support for compensation and to make it a priority to
facilitate reconciliation and the justice processes.” President Barrow said, adding that TJ
financial support should give reparation priority and not justice only.
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