THE REPUBLIC OF THE GAMBIA’S COMBINED REPORT ON THE AFRICAN CHARTER ON HUMAN & PEOPLES’ RIGHTS & INITIAL REPORT ON THE PROTOCOL TO THE AFRICAN CHARTER ON THE RIGHTS OF WOMEN IN AFRICA A number of laws have been enacted to ensure equality of all persons in all social, economic, political, education and health sectors such as the Health Act, Labour Act, Health Act, Lands (Regions Act), State Lands Act and the Women`s Act. ARTICLE 20 RIGHT OF EXISTENCE AND SELF-DETERMINATION. Section 2 of the Constitution of the Republic of The Gambia provides that the sovereignty of The Gambia resides in the people, from whom all organs of Government derive their authority. The people exercise their sovereign will through regular, free and fair elections. The exercise of right of existence and self-determination was manifested in the recently concluded Presidential Elections of 2016 when the former President lost the elections to Adama Barrow after 22 years rule, when he threatened to rule for life. The period leading to the 1st December 2016 Presidential elections was characterised by deep political and security tension, resulting to clashes between opposition parties and the security forces. Protests were conducted by opposition parties resulting to the death Ebrima Solo Sandeng and the subsequent arrest of the United Democratic Party leader and other senior executive members of the UDP. Censorship of journalists. stifling of information, oppression of the people marred with poor economic conditions led to an upsurge of the peoples’ participation during the elections. Between December 2nd 2016 when the results were announced and December 9 2016 when Jammeh back tracked on his acceptance, a political impasse ensued. On December 13th 2016, the Chair of the ECOWAS Authority, Johnson Ellen Sirleaf together with President Muhammadou Buhari of Nigeria, led a high-level mission to The Gambia for a meeting with Jammeh and President Elect Barrow with a view to impress upon Jammeh the need to uphold the results of the elections as the will of the people of The Gambia. The President Elect was duly inaugurated on the 19 th of January in The Gambia’s High Commission in Dakar Senegal. Following the inauguration of President Barrow as the president of the people of The Gambia, President Jammeh finally relinquished his hold on power on 20th January and thereafter fled into exile in Equatorial Guinea. 107