He became the Gambian Minister of Foreign Affairs on 14 October 2004 and served in that position until 24 March 2005, when he was removed without explanation. When relations between the Gambia and Senegal turned sour later that year, Jammeh asked him to return but as the Gambian Ambassador to Senegal. He took this role on in November 2005, with concurrent accreditation for Burkina Faso and Mali, and presented his credentials to the Senegalese government in January 2006. One of the most pressing issues he had to deal with were negotiations over the Casamance conflict.