(DAKAR, Senegal) — A military commander with West Africa’s regional bloc says its forces will “take action” at midnight unless a solution is found to Gambia’s political crisis before then.

Speaking on Senegalese radio station RFM, Seydou Maiga Mboro declared that “all the troops are already in place” awaiting the deadline for President Yahya Jammeh to step down.

Witnesses in Senegal have reported seeing troops making their way toward Gambia’s borders.

Jammeh has refused to cede power after 22 years at the helm despite losing the Dec. 1 election to Adama Barrow.

The president-elect has vowed to go ahead with his inauguration anyway on Thursday, and ECOWAS, the regional bloc, has vowed to use military force if necessary to remove him. </s> Gambian leader, Yahya Jammeh has accused West African regional body, ECOWAS, of declaring war against his country because they asked him to step down for a democratically elected president.

He also accused ECOWAS of putting forces on alert in case he refused to step down, has vowed to stay in power despite losing a December 1 election to rival Adama Barrow.

He also promised to defend Gambia against any outside aggression, in a New Year speech broadcast on state TV.

It was earlier earlier reported how President Muhammadu Buhari led other West African leaders to meet with Jammeh and Barrow. Apart from Mr. Buhari, the ECOWAS delegation also had Presidents Ernest Koroma, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf and John Mahama of Sierra Leone, Liberia and Ghana respectively.

The leaders appealed to Mr. Jammeh to leave office and also reportedly sought a ‘honourable exit’ for him that would ensure he is not tried for various human rights crimes he is alleged to have committed while in office.

Marcel de Souza, the ECOWAS Commission president, said last week that the body had put standby forces on alert.

In his speech on New Year Day, Mr. Jammeh decried “the resolution of ECOWAS on the current situation to implement the results of December 1, 2016 presidential election by whatever means possible.”

Mr. Buhari has stepped in as an ECOWAS mediator to offer Mr. Jammeh an “honourable exit”, but the latter said the bloc could no longer fulfil that </s> West Africa's regional bloc ECOWAS must ensure The Gambia's President Yahya Jammeh steps down because he lost an election, the bloc's chairwoman has said.

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia, the chair of the Economic Community of West African States, urged the leaders at the bloc's summit in the Nigerian capital of Abuja on Saturday to decide "measures to bring this matter to successful conclusion before January 19", when Jammeh's mandate expires.

She did not elaborate on what measures the bloc would take, but they could include sanctions.

Jammeh's 22 years in power have been marked by allegations of human rights abuses and repression against perceived political opponents.

He lost a December 1 election to little-known challenger Adama Barrow.

Initially, he conceded defeat but rejected the results later, calling for a fresh vote.

Gambian security forces seized the country's Independent Electoral Commission earlier this week. His party is now challenging the result in The Gambia's Supreme Court.

On Friday, Marcel de Souza, the bloc's president, said a military intervention must be considered if diplomacy failed to persuade Jammeh to step down.

READ MORE: Gambia's Jammeh rejects result of presidential election

Ebrima Sall, a Gambian senior social scientist, told Al Jazeera the business community, religious leaders and bar association have been calling on Jammeh to step down.

"Everybody is now speaking out," said Sall. "They have overcome the fear that was there and they are all calling upon him to leave and accept the verdict. They know the majority wants him to leave. Otherwise, he will be even more isolated internally, let alone internationally."

The United Nations, the United States and leading West African countries have condemned him. </s> ECOWAS has given former President of Gambia, Yahya Jammeh one last chance to leave Banjul.

West African troops who have already crossed the border were ordered to halt till noon on Friday when Jammeh’s deadline elapses.

“We think that up until the last minute there is still a solution through dialogue,” said Marcel de Souza, head of the ECOWAS commission.

ECOWAS will send a team led by Guinea’s president, Alpha Conde, and including the presidents of Liberia and Mauritania to Banjul on Friday, de Souza said.

There was no resistance by Gambian troops at the border when the West African soldiers entered Thursday.

”Troops in Farafenni refused to fight. They opened border for ECOWAS troops to enter freely. No loss of lives down that end”, a source monitoring the operation said.

Gambian President, Adama Barrow was sworn in by the President of the Gambian bar Association at the Gambian Embassy in Senegal on Thursday.

“This is a day no Gambian will ever forget.

“Our national flag will now fly high among the most democratic nations of the world,” Barrow said. </s> Johannesburg - The tiny nation of Gambia has West Africa on the brink of a military intervention, and thousands are fleeing the country.

Longtime President Yahya Jammeh is refusing to step down after losing elections. On Thursday, President-elect Adama Barrow intends to go through with his inauguration, with the support of the international community.

Here's a look at the crisis.

At first, Jammeh stunned Gambians by conceding his election loss on live television.

A week later, he announced he had changed his mind, saying "only Allah" could deny him victory.

After taking power more than 22 years ago in a bloodless coup, Jammeh has been accused of leading a government that detains, tortures and even kills opponents.

He is no stranger to striking declarations: In late 2015, he abruptly announced Gambia to be an Islamic republic. In 2013, he decided to leave the Commonwealth.

A legal challenge ,but is there a court?

Jammeh's ruling party is challenging the December 1 election results, saying there were irregularities in the vote, but the country's Supreme Court says it could take months to act because it is short of judges.

Jammeh has invited judges from Nigeria and Sierra Leone to complete the court, but that is not expected to happen until May.

It is not clear what will happen if Barrow is inaugurated next week and the court later decides in Jammeh's favor.

An attempt on Friday by West African leaders to persuade Jammeh to change his mind and step down failed.

Though diplomatic efforts continue, the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) has a standby military force ready to enter Gambia if Jammeh doesn't cede power when his mandate ends on Thursday.

If the use of force is necessary, Ecowas will seek the endorsement of the UN Security Council and the African Union Peace and Security Council to deploy the troops, the UN special representative for West Africa and the Sahel, Mohamed Ibn Chambas, said on Friday.



Gambia, a nation of 1.9 million people, is estimated to have an army of just 900 troops.

If Jammeh doesn't step down on Thursday, whether peacefully or not - he briefly sent troops to occupy the electoral commission office during the crisis - the African Union will cease to recognise him as Gambia's legitimate leader, the AU's Peace and Security Council said on Friday. </s> Gambia's President Yahya Jammeh attends the plenary session of the Africa-South America Summit on Margarita Island, file. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins/File Photo

BANJUL (Reuters) - Gambian President Yahya Jammeh vowed to stay in power when his mandate ends in January, defying calls from West African leaders to hand over to the winner of a Dec. 1 election.

Regional bloc ECOWAS hopes diplomacy can persuade Jammeh to step down but has also warned him it would take "all necessary actions" to resolve the impasse. Neighbouring Senegal has indicated that military action would be a last resort.

"I am not a coward. My right cannot be intimidated and violated. This is my position. Nobody can deprive me of that victory except the Almighty Allah," Jammeh, who took power in a 1994 coup, said on state television late on Tuesday.

"The ECOWAS meeting was a formality. Before they came, they had already said Jammeh must step down. I will not step down," he said, referring to a mediating visit by West African leaders to Banjul last week.

Jammeh's rebuff places president-elect Adama Barrow in a vulnerable position. He is due to formally end his rival's 22-year rule when he is inaugurated on Jan. 19 in a ceremony that West African leaders say they will attend.

ECOWAS has pledged to provide security for Barrow but bodyguards have not yet arrived.

His unexpected victory and Jammeh's initial announcement that he would step down was greeted with joy on a continent where it is extremely rare for a veteran leader to lose an election and step down willingly.

It quickly became a test of regional mettle, though, when Jammeh reversed course, asserting that he was cheated and would challenge the result in Gambia's supreme court.

The court has not heard cases for years but the chief justice said on Wednesday a hearing would take place on Jan. 10. with judges from Nigeria and Sierra Leone.

In a show of support for Jammeh's legal challenge, the president of the African Bar Association, Hannibal Uwaifo, met him late on Tuesday and in a broadcast statement called for his case to be heard.

ECOWAS has mandated Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari to mediate. ECOWAS deployed troops to Liberia and Sierra Leone during civil wars in the 1990s, setting a precedent for possible regional intervention. It also sent forces to Mali in 2013.

But African organisations, including the African Union, have a patchy record when it comes to putting pressure on leaders after disputed elections.

Human rights groups say Jammeh's government has arrested, tortured and killed perceived opponents.

A first step for raising pressure on Jammeh once the handover date passes might be targeted sanctions by ECOWAS, the United Nations, United States and European Union, diplomats said.

These could involve a travel ban. Diplomats say ECOWAS would probably seek approval from the U.N. Security Council, of which Senegal is a non-permanent member, for the use of force.

Senegal, which has a history of stormy relations with Gambia and sent troops there during a 1981 coup, is a likely candidate for leadership of any African intervention force given its position as Gambia's only territorial neighbour.

In the interim, it may be possible to defuse the situation by offering Jammeh asylum, probably in Morocco or Saudi Arabia, diplomats said.

Barrow is already grappling with preparations for governing. One crucial task is securing the support of security forces who have seized the electoral commission since the vote.

Maggie Dwyer, a research fellow at the University of Edinburgh, said multiple coup attempts in the past suggest the army may be split and not completely reliable for Jammeh. </s> Gambian leader, Yahya Jammeh, has accused West African regional body, ECOWAS, of declaring war against his country for refusal to step down at the end of his mandate this month. Jammeh, who accused ECOWAS of putting forces on alert in case he refused to step down, has vowed to stay in power despite losing a Dec. 1 election to rival Adama Barrow.

This post was syndicated from The NEWS. Click here to read the full text on the original website.

Also, Like us on facebook </s> Gambian leader, Yahya Jammeh, has accused West African regional body, the Economic Community of West African States, of declaring war against his country for refusal to step down at the end of his mandate this month.

 Jammeh, who accused ECOWAS of putting forces on the alert in case he refused to step down, has vowed to stay in power despite losing a December 1 election to rival, Adama Barrow.

 He also promised to defend Gambia against any outside aggression.

 This was contained in a New Year speech broadcast on state TV.

 The veteran leader initially conceded defeat in the vote, then changed his mind days later – raising fears that regional powers might have to intervene to oust him.

 His mandate runs out on January 19.

 Marcel de Souza, the President for the Economic Community of West African States Commission, said last week that the body had put standby forces on alert.

 In his speech, Jammeh decried “the resolution of ECOWAS on the current situation to implement the results of December 1, 2016 presidential election by whatever means possible”.

 He apparently acknowledged again that the poll did not go in his favour.

 Jammeh added: “It is in effect a declaration of war and an insult to our constitution.

 “Let me make it very clear that we are ready to defend this country against any aggression.

 “My government will never opt for such confrontation but defending our sovereignty is a sacred duty for all patriotic Gambians.”

 Barrow’s surprise victory and Jammeh’s initial decision to concede after 22 years in power was initially seen as a moment of hope on a continent where autocratic leaders are becoming more entrenched.

 Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has stepped in as an ECOWAS mediator to offer Jammeh an “honorable exit”, but Jammeh said the bloc could no longer fulfill that role.

 The United Nations had in December mandated Buhari and other leaders of ECOWAS to flush out Jammeh in case he refuses to step down.

 Buhari, President John Mahama of Ghana and President Ellen Sirleaf-Johnson had also last month travelled to Gambia to mediate in the crisis.

 Jammeh refused the entreaties to step down, leading to the announcement of the composition of a force by ECOWAS to flush him out.

 Reuters/NAN.

Copyright The Eagle Online.

 Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to www.theeagleonline.com.ng as the source. </s> Gambian leader, Yahya Jammeh, has accused the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, of declaring war against his country for refusing to step down. Jammeh, who chided ECOWAS for putting forces on the alert, has vowed to stay in power despite losing a December 1 election to rival, Adama Barrow. Recall that Marcel de […]
The president of ECOWAS, Marcel de Souza, says the West African bloc could send troops into The Gambia if Yahya Jammeh refuses to step down from power.