The statue of the Unknown Soldier that once towered over the entrance to Banjul, the capital city of Gambia has been taken down, reports SMBC.
Gambia’s former President Yahya Jammeh had the statue erected on the eve of his ruling following a military coup in 1994 which ousted the Sir Dawda Jawara regime.
The Arch 22 Monument of a soldier with an outstretched hand with fingers in a piece sign and holding a child on the other side with an AK47 hanging on his back has been a sight that greets one at the ntrace of the island capital for the 22 years of Yayha’s rule.
The Statue is the most symbolic structure signifying Jammeh’s rule attracting tourists and has a museum chronicling the longtime military-backed leader’s rule.
“Authorities are yet to say who authorized the removal of the “Unknown Soldier” statue. The statue was found lying covered on a near cross street and no vandalism was reported by the caretakers of the monument, which was a first of its kind in the small West African nation,” says the SMBC.
Jammeh was defeated in December’s election by Adama Barrow but went on to challenge the results. Mr Jammeh’s decision to quit came after talks with the presidents of Guinea and Mauritania and the west African nation’s willingness to send in troops to oust him.He’s the first president to peacefully hand over power in The Gambia since independence from Britain in 1965.
