HIV/AIDS Patients Left Without Drugs in The Gambia

Many Gambian citizens suffering from HIV and AIDS have been lamenting their precarious conditions following the forced exit of former president, Yahya Jammeh.

Several of them have never had access to basic life saving drugs or experts’ advice on how to manage their condition.

Jammeh claimed he could cure people suffering from HIV and AIDS and personally treated hundreds of patients in Gambian clinics, administering herbal remedies.

He attracted worldwide attention for declaring The Gambia an Islamic nation, withdrawing the country from the International Criminal Court, and claiming he had concocted a herbal cure for HIV/AIDS.

The longtime ruler has woven a shroud of mysticism around himself using religion and rumors of secret powers.

Never seen without his Koran, scepter and prayer beads, Jammeh’s billowing white robes are rumored to hide a bulletproof vest, the legacy of several coup attempts by his own guards.

Now that he has left power, many are still sick and telling their stories.