THE CLOCK IS TICKING FAST : Gambia’s Yahya Jammeh has until noon to resign from office before being ejected by ECOWAS troops.

Out with the old. (Reuters/Afolabi Sotunde)


The clock is ticking for Yahya Jammeh, the longtime president of the Gambia. After 22 years in power, Jammeh has until noon local time to cede power to Adama Barrow, winner of the Dec. 1 elections. Barrow was inaugurated as the new Gambian president in a makeshift ceremony at the country’s embassy in Dakar, Senegal yesterday (Jan 19.) given Jammeh’s refusal to vacate office.

Following Barrow’s inauguration, troops deployed by the Economic Community of West African Countries (ECOWAS) entered Gambia, and reportedly encountered no resistance. In a bid to allow for a last shot at reaching a peaceful, diplomatic solution, ECOWAS’ military action has been temporarily suspended until noon.

Final talks with Jammeh are expected to be led by Alpha Conde, president of Guinea. But should those talks fail, like previous talks with ECOWAS leaders have, Marcel Alain de Souza, chairman of the ECOWAS commission says the regional bloc’s troops will continue their advance with the goal of forcing Jammeh out of power and installing new Barrow who has remained in Senegal waiting for the impasse to be resolved.


“If by midday, [Yahya Jammeh] doesn’t agree to leave the Gambia under the banner of President Conde, we really will intervene militarily,” de Souza said.

Jammeh has sought to stay in power by filing an election petition with Gambia’s highest court claiming anomalies and errors in the results of the December elections. After the Supreme Court said it was unable to hear his petition until May due to a shortage of judges, Jammeh has insisted on remaining in office until a decision is made by the court.