8 facts about Yahya Jammeh you should know

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Yahya Jammeh reign has come to an end, thankfully through an election. The Gambian dictator, who once said he would for a billion years, was defeated in an election by Adam barrow, a onetime security guard.

The leader came to power in a coup in 1994. In his two decade rule, he has said many outrageous things during the time. Here are some of the outrageous things he did.

  • He was 29 years old when he overthrew the government.
  • He was officially known as his Excellency Sheikh Professor Alhaji Doctor Yahya AJJ Jammeh Babili Mansa. He added the last two in 2015, which means chief bridge builder or conqueror of rivers in Mandinka honorific language
  • He claimed he would rule for a billion years if god wills.
  • He claimed he could cure HIV/AIDS in 2007 by using herbal concoctions.
  • He was a friend to the ousted Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.
  • He is so homophobic that he warned that all gays would be beheaded in 2007
  • He once ordered the execution of criminals and political opponents on death row
  • He withdrew Gambia from ICC terming it as an International Caucasian Court