Gambians have been thrown into mourning following the death of their first president, Alhaji Sir Dawda Jawara, who passed on at the age of 95 on Tuesday.
The Gambia’s President, Mr. Adams Barrow on Tuesday confirmed the death of the former leader on his social media accounts.Barrow described Jawara’s demise as “indeed a great loss to the country in particular and humanity in general.”
A family source confirmed that Jawara passed on, Tuesday at his Fajara home.
Jawara is celebrated in the tiny West African nation as an independence hero having led the country’s liberation from British rule in 1965.
He first served as Gambian Prime Minister between 1965 and 1970 before he was democratically elected as President.
Jawara was overthrown in 1994 in a bloodless coup led by then 23-year-old Yahya Jammeh, who is now exiled in Equatorial Guinea.