Gay men and lesbians must leave the country within 24 hours or face “serious consequences,” the President of Gambia said on Thursday. President Yahya Jammeh turned on homosexuals and foreigners in an address at a victory celebration rally in Tallinding.
The Daily Observer reported that the President had issued:
“An ultimatum to homosexuals, drug dealers, thieves and other criminals, to leave The Gambia or face serious consequences if caught.
“The President equally warned all those who harbour such individuals to kick them out of their compounds, noting that a mass patrol will be conducted on the instructions of the IGP and the director of the Gambia Immigration Department to weed bad elements in society. “Any hotel, lodge or motel that lodges this kind of individuals will be closed down, because this act is unlawful.” he said.
Gambia, a mostly Muslim country of 1.7 million people, punishes homosexual acts, even in private, with up to seven years in prison.
A former British colony, the country has been ruled by President Jammeh since a bloodless coup in 1994.
Last year he horrified scientists by announcing that he had developed a “miracle cure” for HIV/AIDS.