Middle East Funds Gambia as EU Cuts Aid Over Human Rights Concerns
- Author:
- wochit
- Publisher:
- Wochit
- Publication Date:
- 10 December 2014
- Tags:
- Gambia, Aid and Assistance, International Organizations and Africa
The European Union has withdrawn millions of euros of funding for Gambia due to its poor human rights record, leaving the mainly Muslim West African nation to rely increasingly on donors from the Middle East for development projects. Diplomatic sources said, the shift in soft power is of concern to Western governments in a region where Islamist militancy in northern Nigeria and northern Mali is fuelling instability. One diplomat said, "West Africa has a large, impressionable youth population that have no access to jobs. Their loyalty might be bought through aid, sometimes by those sympathetic to the Islamification of the region."
AllAfrica publishes around 400 reports a day from more than 100 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals, representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct.
Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica. To address comments or complaints, please Contact us.