FeaturedWorld News

Gambia rejoins Commonwealth after 5 years

457

The Gambia rejoins the Commonwealth family Wednesday, almost five years after leaving it.

Ambassador Francis Blain presented Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland with his country’s formal application to rejoin the Commonwealth.

“When The Gambia left in 2013, the heads of government expressed their regret in its leaving the Commonwealth family. We’ve looked forward to The Gambia’s return and were delighted when, after his election victory last year, President Barrow pledged to return. The Gambia’s application to rejoin has been unanimously accepted by all 52-member states, who welcome back their brothers and sisters to again play their full part in the Commonwealth family, said Secretary-General Scotland in a statement obtained by Per Second News Wednesday.

Last December, the parliament of The Gambia unanimously affirmed the country’s desire to rejoin the Commonwealth, thereby fulfilling one of the final steps in the organisation’s membership process.

Its application was unanimously supported by the current 52-member states and The Gambia will now be invited to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in April in London.

A flag-raising ceremony, at Marlborough House, the London headquarters of the Commonwealth Secretariat, will mark its return.

Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland, the chair of the Executive Committee of the Board of Governors, Norman Hamilton, members of the Committee, and The Gambian high commissioner, Francis Blain, will attend the ceremony.

The decision to begin the process of applying for readmission was made in February 2017 by President Adama Barrow, who came to power following elections in December 2016.

 

 

 

Leave a comment

Related Articles

Nigeria Invites Burkina Faso, Niger, Mali for Abuja Regional Summit Despite ECOWAS Exit

Notwithstanding their departure from the Economic Community of West African States(ECOWAS), Nigeria...

India’s Deadly Skies: 7 Killed in Copter Crash 3 Days After Plane Tragedy

A helicopter carrying seven individuals, including the pilot, has tragically crashed in...

Trump Mulls Expanding Travel Ban to 36 Nations, Nigeria, Ghana, Benin on the List

The United States is reportedly considering a significant expansion of its travel...

Horrific Political Violence in US: US Lawmaker, Husband Brutally Murdered

Melissa Hortman, a Democratic state lawmaker in Minnesota, and her husband were...

Iran: Israel’s Attacks Crossed the Line, Amount to Declaration of War

By Daniel Okejeme with agency report Following a series of Israeli military...

Entire Family Wiped Out: Doctor Couple and 3 Children Among Victims of India Plane Crash

A husband and wife, both doctors and their three children including a...

London-bound Air India Flight Crash Claims 200 Lives, Briton Survives

A London-bound Air India passenger plane with more than 200 people on...

Just in: Air India flight AI171with 242 passengers on board crashes

A London-bound Air India flight with 242 passengers on board crashed shortly...

Ahead of Elections, Presidential Hopeful Shot in the Head in Brazen Attack

A Colombian presidential candidate, Miguel Uribe Turbay, 39, was shot three times,...

Nigerian “Tech Queen” Arrested for Multimillion-Dollar US Government Fraud

Nigerian tech enthusiast, Sapphire Egemasi, has been arrested by the Federal Bureau...

Mauritania’s Sidi Ould Tah elected 9th AfDB president, takes office Sept. 1

Sidi Ould Tah of Mauritania has been elected as the ninth president...

ECOWAS at 50: Tinubu Urges Leaders to Harness Youth Potential, Implement Policies

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, current chair of the Authority of ECOWAS Heads...

Tragedy Strikes Southern California: Small Plane Crashes into Homes at Night, Casualties Feared

In the dead of night, a small plane tragically crashed into a...

Bloodbath at Israeli Embassy in US: Gunman Fatally Shoots Two Staff, Shouts ‘Free Palestine’

A gunman shot and killed a young couple working at the Israeli...

Pentagon accepts luxury $400m jet gift from Qatar for Pres. Trump

The Pentagon has accepted a luxury Boeing 747 jet from Qatar to...

Joe Biden Diagnosed With Aggressive Prostate Cancer, Gleason Score 9

A medical evaluation, prompted by worsening urinary symptoms, revealed that former U.S....

US-China Tariff Truce: China Lifts Ban on Boeing Plane Deliveries

China has lifted its ban on airlines taking delivery of Boeing aircraft...

American-born Pope Leo XIV emerges new Catholic Pope

A new leader for world’s 1.5 billion Catholics has emerged. He is...

Breaking: White Smoke Rises, Signaling Papal Successor

White smoke billowed from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel on Thursday,...

ECOWAS Decries Poor Condition of Nigeria-Benin Border Facilities

Despite significant financial investment, the infrastructure at the Nigeria-Benin Republic Seme border...