AFRICA

Gambia: Christians demand that the state be declared secular and not Islamic

Christian Churches in the Gambia have demanded the declaration of their country as a secular state, in a new Constitution being drafted.

Vatican News – Banjul, the Gambia

Former President declared country an Islamic Republic

The Gambia is a small country situated in West Africa. It has a population of 2.35 million people.

Former President, Yahya Jammeh, declared the country an Islamic Republic in 2015. He said he wanted to distance the nation from its colonial past.

Despite assurances by the new Government of President Adama Barrow, there have been noticeable restrictions on Christians. Members of the Christian Council of the Gambia (CCG), composed of the Catholic, Anglican and Methodist Churches are now demanding that in the preamble of the future Constitution, the words “secular state” be specified.

In the Gambia, Christians represent around 9% of the population of which just over 2% are Catholics. The majority are Muslims.

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