Gambia News : The Gambia expels UNICEF country representative

Feb 16,2010 00:00 by lamin

The government of The Gambia has expelled the UNICEF country representative Min Whee-Kang, giving her 24 hours to leave the country, APA learns here Tuesday.

According to sources from Banjul, Ms Min Whee-Kang received the letter of her expulsion on Friday, and there was no official explanation given for the action. She has since left for Dakar, the sources said.

The UNICEF media official in The Gambia Ms Sally Singhateh was quoted saying that her office only received a letter last week from the government stating that Ms Min-Whee Kang was no longer welcome in the country but no reasons were given.

This is the second such expulsion of a senior United Nations official. In 2007, the UNDP resident representative and head of the UN system in The Gambia, Ms Fadzai Gwaradzimba was also sent packing after she questioned President Yahya Jammeh’s claims to have a cure for HIV/AIDS.

The Gambia has been increasingly criticized over its human rights record, with President Jammeh, who seized power in a military coup in 1994, said to be intolerant to any dissent or criticism.

In addition to the frequent harassments and imprisonment of journalists and members of the opposition, he has also frequently made threats to kill rights activists, gay people and "saboteurs".