BANJUL, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Gambian President Adama Barrow has declared three days of national mourning following the death of the country's first president, Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara, on Tuesday at the age of 95, a senior official said on Tuesday.
President Barrow also ordered that all the national flags be flown at half mast, Senior Communications Officer at the office of the President Nfally Fadera told Xinhua.
He said the deceased will be given a state funeral on Thursday and would appear before the national assembly before he will be buried the same day.
On Tuesday afternoon, President Barrow visited the residence of the former president in Fajara to pay condolences to the family. He described the former president as a democrat who put the Gambia on the global map during the independence struggle from Britain.
Jawara was born on May 16, 1924 in Barajally, a small rural community situated in the Central River Region. After leading The Gambia to get independence in 1965, he served as prime minister until 1970 when the country became a republic. He became the first president until 1994 when his government was toppled by military men led by Yahya Jammeh.
