Britain 'regrets' Gambian decision to leave Commonwealth

LONDON, Oct. 3 (UPI) -- The British Foreign Office responded Thursday to The Gambia's decision to quit the Commonwealth by saying it regrets any member's departure.

The Gambian government, in its announcement, called the Commonwealth "a neo-colonial institution," the BBC reported. Most of the members are former British colonies.

"Decisions on Commonwealth membership are a matter for each member government," a Foreign Office spokesman said. "We would very much regret Gambia, or any other country, deciding to leave the Commonwealth."

Gambia, a small narrow country along the banks of the Gambia River, has a population of less than 2 million. It has been a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, formerly the British Commonwealth, since it became independent 48 years ago.

Relations between the country and Britain have been tense in recent years. A recent Foreign Office report faulted The Gambia on human rights, and Yahya Jammeh, who became president after a 1994 coup, accused Britain of supporting his opponent in the election two years ago.

Bakary Dabo, a former vice president and now a democracy campaigner, told the BBC most Gambians like being in the Commonwealth. He said the government has been "picking up war against poorly specified enemies called 'western powers'" to distract attention from its own actions.

Dabo said Jammeh's "rambling" speech last month at the United Nations was an example of this. In the speech, Jammeh, who has been faulted for saying AIDS can be cured with herbal tea, called homosexuality a major threat.