The African Union will cease to recognise Yahya Jammeh as president of The Gambia should he refuse to stand down by January 19, the date he is due to hand over power to the winner of that country presidential election.The AU’s Peace and Security Council in a statement on Friday in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, also warned of “serious consequences in the event that his action causes any crisis that could lead to political disorder, humanitarian and human rights disaster, including loss of innocent lives and destruction of properties.”The warning came on a day President Muhammadu Buhari was due in Banjul at the head of an ECOWAS delegation to persuade Jammeh to step down.Yahya’s political party, in the latest gambit, has gone to court to halt the inauguration of Adama Barrow, on the basis that Jammeh’s challenge of the electoral result, has not been decided by the country’s Supreme Court.The case was adjourned for months, because the court could not form a quorum.Barrow’s party pledged on Friday that Jammeh would be honoured as a former head of state if he steps down and suggested he might not face trial for alleged crimes during his 22 years in power. </s> Gambian President Yahya Jammeh, seen in 2014, rejected his election defeat only a week after conceding to opponent President-elect Adama Barrow. By ISSOUF SANOGO (AFP/File)

United Nations (United States) (AFP) - The UN Security Council on Saturday demanded that Gambia's leader Yahya Jammeh hand over power to the president-elect after he rejected the election results in a dramatic political U-turn.

In a unanimous statement, the 15 council members called on Jammeh to "respect the choice of the sovereign people of The Gambia, as he did on December 2 2016, and to transfer, without condition and undue delay, power to the President-elect, Mr Adama Barrow." </s> Outgoing Gambian President Yahya Jammeh speaking during a press conference after being defeated during the presidential election on December 3, 2016. By Handout (GRTS - Gambia Radio and Television Services/AFP/File)

United Nations (United States) (AFP) - UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday condemned the military takeover of Gambia's independent electoral commission, calling on the army and police forces to immediately leave the IEC's offices.

The seizure of the IEC on Tuesday came after President Yahya Jammeh refused to recognize electoral defeat and accused the election body of vote-tampering.

Ban expressed "dismay" over the takeover, saying he "condemns this outrageous act of disrespect of the will of the Gambian people," his spokesman said in a statement.

"This action violates the independent status of the IEC under the Gambian constitution, and could compromise the sensitive electoral material under the commission's custody," he added.

"He calls on the Gambian military and security forces to immediately vacate the IEC premises and to refrain from any further acts with the intent to jeopardize efforts toward the peaceful transfer of power."

The UN chief renewed his appeal for Jammeh, Gambia's leader for 22 years, to hand over power to President-elect Adama Barrow.

A UN envoy joined a delegation of African leaders in Banjul this week to press for a transfer of power, but Liberia's Ellen Johnson Sirleaf said no deal had been reached following talks with Jammeh and Barrow.

The Security Council on Saturday released a unanimous statement demanding that Jammeh "transfer, without condition and undue delay, power to President-elect Adama Barrow." </s> The tiny West African nation of Gambia is on the verge of a military intervention as its leader of 22 years, Yahya Jammeh, refuses to relinquish power to president-elect Adama Barrow.

Tens of thousands of residents have fled, as troops from Nigeria and Senegal prepare to invade the country and use force to install Mr Barrow as the rightful president on January 19.

Mr Jammeh initially accepted the December 1 election result, but a week later, he reversed his decision, claiming that voter fraud had cost him the election. He has since petitioned Gambia's Supreme Court for a re-run of the polls, in what critics have said is simply an attempt to cling to power. On Wednesday Gambia's parliament voted to extend his term by 90 days.

Delegations led by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and its president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf have tried to convince Mr Jammeh to step aside, to little result. </s> Gambian President Yahya Jammeh has accused the West African regional bloc ECOWAS of declaring war after demanding that he stand down following his defeat at the ballot box.

Regional leaders warned last month that the 15-member ECOWAS would “take all necessary action to enforce the results” of the December 1 poll.

Jammeh retorted in a New Year’s speech on Saturday night that the ECOWAS summit decision was “totally illegal” as it violated the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of member states.

“It is in effect a declaration of war and an insult to our constitution. It is therefore absolutely unacceptable,” said Jammeh.

“Let me make very clear that we are ready to defend the country against any aggression and there will be no compromise on this.”

Opposition leader Adama Barrow was declared the winner of the ballot in the former British colony and Jammeh — in power for 22 years — initially conceded defeat.

But he reversed his decision a week later, condemning “unacceptable errors” by election authorities and calling for a new election.

The Gambia’s top court said last month it was adjourning until January 10 a case filed by Jammeh to annul the vote results.

Jammeh’s stance has stoked international concerns about the future of the small west African country, with the UN joining African leaders in calling for him to allow Barrow to take the oath of office as scheduled on January 19.

But the 51-year-old strongman has remained defiant.

“Given the unjustifiable and unprecedented anomalies… what we are simply and rightfully asking for is to return to the polls and allow the Gambians to elect who they want to be their president in free and fair elections,” he said Saturday. </s> Yahya Jammeh, long-time president of The Gambia, looks set to be caught in diplomatic cross-hairs with the African Union. After rejecting the results of the December elections which he lost, after initially accepting them with a concession speech on state TV, Jammeh is battling to cling on to power.

But after a meting in Addis Ababa today (Jan. 13), African Union’s Peace and Security Council announced it will no longer recognize Jammeh as president of Gambia after Jan. 19, the intended date for the inauguration of president-elect, Adama Barrow.

Disputing the election results due to anomalies, Jammeh has filed a petition with Gambia’s Supreme Court. However, due to a shortage of judges to hear the petition, the Supreme Court postponed hearing the petition until May, four months after the Jan. 19 handover date. As a result, Jammeh has said he will remain in office till then.

But in a stern statement, AU has warned of “serious consequences” if Jammeh’s insistence on hanging on to power “causes any crisis that could lead to political disorder, humanitarian and human rights disaster, including loss of innocent lives and destruction of properties.” AU’s announcement, possibly a pretext for the possible deployment of troops, is similar to the declaration by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) that military force is an option should Jammeh stay on.

There’s one more chance for a diplomatic solution though as ECOWAS leaders are currently in The Gambia to foster talks for a peace resolution of the impasse. Should that happen, then on Jan. 19, for the first time ever, The Gambia will witness its first ever peaceful handover of power.

Sign up for the Quartz Africa Weekly Brief — the most important and interesting news from across the continent, in your inbox. </s> The United Nations Security Council on Saturday condemned Gambia President Yahya Jammeh's rejection of election results announced last week that saw him lose power after 22 years, and it urged all parties to refrain from violence.

"(Security Council members) called on him to respect the choice of the sovereign People of The Gambia, as he did on 2 December 2016, and to transfer, without condition and undue delay, power to the President-elect, Mr. Adama Barrow," it said in a statement. </s> The Gambian President, Yahya Jammeh, has reportedly backtracked over his resolve to hand over power to his successor, Adama Barrow, after ruling the West African nation for 22 solid years. In a speech broadcast on the state-owned television, the coup maker, turned constitutionally elected leader, claimed investigations since the December 1 election have revealed to him, a number of voting irregularities, which is unacceptable.

“I hereby reject the results in totality. Let me repeat: I will not accept the results based on what has happened,” he said. The constitutional dictator's rejection of the results comes barely a week after he had called Adama Barrow to concede defeat and promised to hand over power peacefully. “You are the elected president of The Gambia, and I wish you all the best,” Jammeh told Barrow at the time, adding, “I have no ill will.”

After seizing power in 1994, at the age of just 29, and forcing prominent citizens into exile, the despot ruled The Gambia with an iron fist until he decided to drop the army garb for that of a civilian leader. Since then, he has won several disputed elections, but, in the name of sovereignty, nobody said anything about him. Now after losing the December election and accepting defeat, this tyrant has decided to eat back his words, and is now saying he would no more accept the election results.

The Chronicle finds the conduct of Yahya Jammeh unacceptable and a complete disgrace to the already battered image of Africa when it comes to democracy. The Gambia is not the personal property of Jammah and his family, but a state whose sovereignty resides in the people, and the latter have decided that they no more need him as their leader. He cannot, therefore, arrogate to himself the powers to annul election results, without recourse to Gambian laws.

The Chronicle is, therefore, calling on the African Union, United Nations, European Union, and United States of America (USA) to start diplomatic talks with this dictator calling himself president, and prevail upon him to hand over power peacefully to Adama Barrow, the president-elect.

Should the diplomatic talks fail, these states and institutions, we have mentioned above, especially Britain, the former colonial ruler, should move in and use military force to remove Jammeh from power.

The Chronicle is surprised at the British foreign policy towards its former colonies. The Queen's people appear not to care about what goes on in their former colonies, though we admit that these former colonies are now independent states.

The Chronicle is not knocking the heads of both Britain and France together, but if this nonsense going in The Gambia had happened in any French speaking country, France would have moved in quickly to stop it.

In 1997, it had to take the intervention of ECOWAS, led by Nigeria, to restore former Sierra Leonean leader Ahmad Kabbah back to power, after he was overthrown by a junta group led by Johnny Koroma.

Britain, which boasts of having colonised countries in Africa including Sierra Leone, did not see the need to intervene and stop the bloodshed going on in its former colony.

In recent years, France has made interventions in Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso among others, which saved these countries from sliding into civil war, but when it comes to English-speaking countries, Britain has always failed to act decisively. Yahya Jammeh, a man who even claimed at a point in time that he could cure AIDS, is gradually sending The Gambia into civil war, and should these world leaders sit aloof and allow him to plunge the country into chaos before living up to their responsibilities?

As the adage goes, when persuasion fails, force must be applied. Yahya Jammeh, we insist, must be removed from power through military intervention if negotiations for him to hand over fail. Africa is tired of this Stone Age conduct of some of its leaders, and the time to act is now! </s> Gambia's longtime leader Yahya Jammeh, who lost a December election but refused to recognize the result, has agreed to step down and go into exile, a close advisor to new President Adama Barrow told Reuters.

 Mai Ahmad Fatty was shown a tweet from a Twitter account purported to belong to Barrow stating that Jammeh had agreed to the deal and was asked if it was authentic. "That is correct," he said.
The African Union says it will cease to recognize Yahya Jammeh as President of The Gambia on January 19, the date he is to hand power over to his opponent Adama Barrow, who won last year's election.