Politics
West African nations gave Gambia leader Yahya Jammeh a final deadline to step down as president until Friday noon or be prepared to face military intervention by the U.N.-backed regional bloc E.C.O.W.A.S. The ultimatum came after Adama Barrow was sworn in as the new president at Gambia’s embassy in neighboring Senegal on Thursday.
In his inaugural speech, Barrow ordered the Gambian troops to stay in their barracks and not fight against the external armed forces if the African nations carry out military action against the former president, writes the BBC.
The U.N. Security Council has been pushing for a diplomatic solution to the crisis, which is the reason why military action was suspended until Friday despite Jammeh’s stubborn refusal to quit the presidential office, notes Al Jazeera. Robin Sanders, a former U.S. ambassador to E.C.O.W.A.S. said, “The last thing that West Africa needs is another conflict.”
