Discours du Président de la République à l'occasion de la fête d'indépendance de Gambie

Your Excellency, Mister Adama Brrow, President of the Republic of The Gambia, dear brother,

Excellencies, dear Colleagues, and brothers,

President Alassane Ouattara of Côte d’Ivoire,

President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania,

Your Excellency, Madam Vice President,

Your Excellency, the First Lady,

Honourable Speaker of the National Assembly,

Your Lordship, the Chief Justice of The Gambia,

Honourable Cabinet Ministers,

Your Excellencies, Ambassadors, Members of the Diplomatic and Consular corps,

Venerable Religious and traditional leaders,

Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, all protocol observed,

Your Excellency, President Adama Barrow, my dear brother, let me first thank very much for the fraternal welcome and kind hospitality extended to all of us.

I am pleased to warmly congratulate you, once again, for your historical election as President of the sisterly Republic of The Gambia.

Your victory, the victory of the Gambian people, is indeed a great, and a successful test for the cause of democracy in Africa and the world.

I would like also to praise the people of The Gambia for bringing about a peaceful change and transfer of power through the ballot box.

Brothers and sisters of The Gambia, we are proud of you!

I am deeply humbled and honoured to be your special guest for Gambia's 52nd Independence Anniversary. Gambia and Senegal have blood relations.

We are much more than one people. We are one family, just divided into two States by circumstances of history.

But, we are inseparable. Because we share the same values, the same way of life. We are bound by common history and common destiny. This is the legacy we received from our ancestors. Our common duty is to build on this legacy the foundation for a better future. We owe it to ourselves. We owe it to the next generations.

Today, more than ever, from Serekunda to Tambacounda, from Brikama to Bignona, what we need is peace and harmony; what we need is security and stability; what we need is development for the well-being of our peoples. These are the real challenges of our time. That’s what we should stand for. And this is the message that I carry from your brothers and sisters of Senegal.

I take this opportunity to thank you all for the kind hospitality extended to the Senegalese community residing in the Gambia. It is with the same spirit of Téranga that we leave with our Gambian brothers and sisters in Sénégal.

So, hand in hand, let’s get together; hand in hand, let’s work together; hand in hand, let’s meet the challenges of our time; hand in hand, let’s achieve our common goals. And the best is yet to come.

Long live The Gambia!

Long live Senegal!

Long live EOCOWAS and Africa!

I thank you.