Yahya Jammeh, the former Gambian leader, has vowed to return from exile, threatening President Adama Barrow that “sooner or later, we will know who owns the country”.

Jammeh, who has been living in Equatorial Guinea since losing the 2016 presidential election to President Barrow, has recently issued fresh threats to return home.

In a circulating audio message, Jammeh criticised the Barrow administration, blaming it for the rise in crime across the country.

He claimed that during his 22-year rule, no one dared to commit such crimes without facing severe consequences.

“The crimes taking place in The Gambia now are worse than what’s happening in Mexico or Colombia, and nobody is being prosecuted for them. You Gambians were complaining about my checkpoints,” Jammeh said.

He added that while he used the law to punish offenders, he was accused of being a killer.

“When the law executed those who killed others, you said, ‘he is a killer.’ But I told you a day would come when you’d beg for laws that kill, and that day has come.”

Jammeh also claimed that the country has become a haven for international criminals and a hotspot for drug trafficking.

“Now, almost every day, someone is raped, stabbed, or run over by a vehicle. The worst things are happening in The Gambia today. The worst criminals, even from faraway places, are coming here.

“The worst drug dealers are coming. Containers full of drugs are arriving. But this is coming to an end. If Adama Barrow thinks he’s the only one who can bring me back, he won’t, and in fact, he cannot,” Jammeh said.

Speaking about his return, Jammeh asserted that no one can stop him from coming back home.

He warned President Barrow that the day of his return will be a defining moment.

“Adama Barrow, you cannot stop me from returning to The Gambia. Sooner or later, we will know who really owns The Gambia, you or me. That day will be very nice.”

By Adama Makasuba