Jammeh given last chance to resign as troops enter the Gambia

West African leaders have given Yahya Jammeh a final opportunity to relinquish power before being forced out of office, after Senegalese troops entered The Gambia

Yahya Jammeh ruled the west African nation for 22 years and tried to extend his tenure despite losing to Barrow
Yahya Jammeh ruled the west African nation for 22 years and tried to extend his tenure despite losing to Barrow

West African leaders have given Yahya Jammeh a final opportunity to relinquish power after Senegalese troops crossed the border into the Gambia as part of regional efforts to support the democratically elected President.

Jammeh has been given until noon on Friday to leave office or be forced out by UN-backed regional forces.

Troops have been told to halt their advance until the deadline passes.

The Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) is acting in support of Adama Barrow, who was sworn in as the new Gambian president on Thursday.

Troops from Senegal and other West African countries crossed into The Gambia after an initial deadline for Jammeh to stand down passed with his resignation.

 “We have entered Gambia,” Col Abdou Ndiaye, a spokesman for the Senegalese army, wrote in a text message to Reuters on Thursday night, hours after Barrow was forced to hold his inauguration as president in Dakar, the capital of Senegal.

Ecowas said that its forces had encountered no resistance after entering The Gambia on Thursday.

Adama Barrow was sworn in as President of the Gambia on Thursday
Adama Barrow was sworn in as President of the Gambia on Thursday

Barrow’s legitimacy as president, after winning last month's election, has been recognised internationally.

Jammeh, who ruled the west African nation for 22 years and tried to extend his tenure despite losing to Barrow, is still in State House in the capital and is attempting to make a last-minute deal to ease his way out, the Guardian newspaper reported, citing sources close to the government.

Earlier this week, Jammeh imposed a state of emergency in a final attempt to hang on to power

Last-ditch mediation talks, led by Guinea's President Alpha Conde, are due on Friday morning.

Chairman of the Ecowas commission, Marcel Alain de Souza, said that if the meeting with Conde proved unsuccessful, militarily action would follow.

"If by midday, he [Jammeh] doesn't agree to leave The Gambia under the banner of President Conde, we really will intervene militarily," he said.