The government Tuesday declared three days of mourning to honour former president Sir Dawda Jawara who died Tuesday at the age of 95.
Flags have been lowered to half-mast on all government buildings and institutions across the country to mourn the death of a man widely credited for positioning The Gambia on the world map as a democratic nation, before the 1994 coup that ended his tenure.
Hundreds of families, friends, political associates and well-wishers Tuesday gathered at Jawara’s house in Fajara to pay respect to him. Among them was President Adama Barrow who described Jawara’s death as a big loss to The Gambia and Africa.
The ex-leader will be laid to rest on Thursday, according to officials.
Fatoumata Samateh contributed to this story.
Watch the video for reactions to Jawara’s death.
