UK ‘regrets’ Gambia’s decision to leave the Commonwealth

Gambia’s decision to withdraw from the Commonwealth is something to “very much regret”, the Foreign Office has said.

The African nation announced its departure, saying it will “never be a member of any neo-colonial institution”.

It was not immediately clear what triggered the decision to leave the association of 54 countries largely made up of former British colonies.

Though a popular destination for British tourists, Gambia has been criticised in the past by the UK for human rights abuses, including when it executed nine death-row inmates by firing squad in August last year.

Rights groups such as Amnesty International have also criticised the government of president Yahya Jammeh for cracking down on dissent and targeting political opponents and sexual minorities for arrest and detention, among other alleged abuses.

Bakary Dabo, former vice-president of Gambia and chairman of the country’s campaign for democratic change, said Gambian authorities had been seeking attention and “picking up war against poorly specified enemies called ‘Western powers’”.