1. Home
  2. West Africa
  3. Gambia

US lifts restrictions on bilateral assistance

Country Map - Gambia IRIN
Gambia
The United States lifted on Tuesday restrictions on bilateral assistance imposed against The Gambia in 1994, paving way for a full normalisation of relations and increased support from the US. A statement from the US Embassy in the capital Bangul, said the restrictions were lifted on 5 March, because "the US has determined that a democratically elected government assumed office following presidential elections in October 2001 and legislative elections January 2002". The Gambia with an estimated population of 1.3 million has a per capita income of US $330, and mainly exports agricultural produce especially groundnuts. In 2001 it received US $6.2 million in food aid and assistance to democracy and human rights programs from the US. Relations with the US soured after a 1994 military coup that brought President Yahya Jammeh into office, prompting the US to cut technical assistance. Jammeh however won 55 percent of the votes in an election in October 2001 which international observers said was free and fair.

This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

Share this article

Get the day’s top headlines in your inbox every morning

Starting at just $5 a month, you can become a member of The New Humanitarian and receive our premium newsletter, DAWNS Digest.

DAWNS Digest has been the trusted essential morning read for global aid and foreign policy professionals for more than 10 years.

Government, media, global governance organisations, NGOs, academics, and more subscribe to DAWNS to receive the day’s top global headlines of news and analysis in their inboxes every weekday morning.

It’s the perfect way to start your day.

Become a member of The New Humanitarian today and you’ll automatically be subscribed to DAWNS Digest – free of charge.

Become a member of The New Humanitarian

Support our journalism and become more involved in our community. Help us deliver informative, accessible, independent journalism that you can trust and provides accountability to the millions of people affected by crises worldwide.

Join