Banjul, Gambia - The Gambia prepared to mark its 50th year of independence on Wednesday, with festivities overshadowed by growing complaints over its rights record and the regime increasingly seen abroad as a pariah.
President Yahya Jammeh, who has ruled the former British colony with an iron fist since seizing power in 1994, was due to launch three months of celebrations with a parade at the national Independence Stadium.
But preparations have been clouded by growing accusations from political opponents and international rights groups of enforced disappearances, torture and the muzzling of journalists.