Following the recent threat by president Yahya Jammeh of Gambia that any gays caught in the country will have their throats slit, the US has reacted with a counter-threat of sanctions against the Gambia.
Describing Jammeh’s statement as as “unconscionable” and part of an “alarming deterioration of the broader human rights situation,” the US through a statement by its National Security Advisor Susan Rice said: “We are deeply concerned about credible reports of torture, suspicious disappearances, including of two American citizens – and arbitrary detention at the government’s hands.”
Rice said: “The recent unconscionable comments by Gambian President Yahya Jammeh underscore why we must continue to seek a world in which no one lives in fear of violence or persecution because of who they are or whom they love” and warned that the US could take action.
The African Eye recalls that the US revoked trade preferences with Gambia last year following reports of a crackdown against the country’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community.
“We are reviewing what additional actions are appropriate to respond to this worsening situation,” Rice said. “We repeat our call for the Gambian government, and all governments, to lead inclusively, repudiate intolerance, and promote respect for the universal rights and fundamental freedoms of all people.”
