President Alhaji Dr Yahya Jammeh yesterday returned from Freetown, Sierra Leone, where he attended the swearing-in ceremony of President Ernest Bai Koroma.

Speaking to journalists at the Banjul International Airport shortly after his arrival, President Jammeh said this is the first time since a decade-long war that Sierra Leone has witnessed the transfer of power from one president to another.

He continued that all Sierra Leoneans should know that violence will not take them anywhere. He described the ceremony as an important occasion, saying that expectations are high.

President Jammeh expressed confidence that his new Sierra Leonean counterpart will deliver, noting that they have had a fruitful discussion.
He described Sierra Leone as an important partner of The Gambia and confirmed that the bilateral relationship between the two countries will be strengthened to make sure there is a peaceful atmosphere in the region.

President Jammeh was received at the foot of the airplane by the Vice President Aja Dr Isatou Njie-Saidy, who was accompanied by the Chief Justice Abdou Karim Savage, the Speaker of the National Assembly Fatoumata Jahumpa-Ceesay, members of the Cabinet, ambassadors, chiefs of national security services, and other dignitaries.