The West African nation of Gambia has announced it is withdrawing from the British Commonwealth, saying it will "never be a member of any neo-colonial institution".
It was not immediately clear what triggered the decision to leave the association of 54 countries largely made up of former British colonies, which was announced in a statement yesterday.
Gambia joined the commonwealth in 1965.
A sliver of a country surrounded by Senegal, Gambia is a popular destination for European sun-seekers with its tropical climate and white beaches.
There is a history of bad blood between President Yahya Jammeh, who came to power in a 1994 coup, and the country's former colonial master.
Mr Jammeh accused the UK of backing Gambia's political opposition ahead of 2011 elections, while Britain has criticised the Gambian government for its poor human rights record, including a series of executions carried out last year.
Mr Jammeh's government has been accused by human rights groups of persecuting its political opponents and homosexuals.
In a speech before the United Nations General Assembly last week, Mr Jammeh called homosexuality a threat to human existence and criticised other countries for regarding it as a human right.
