What May Likely Happen As Gambia’s Yahya Jammeh Backtracks, Decides To Stay Put

President Yahya Jammeh of the Gambia has changed his mind again and has decided to stay put and defend his government. Mr Jammeh was earlier reported to have accepted a last-minute deal brokered by Mauritania’s president, Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz who was in Banjul on a day’s visit.

The deal included him going into exile in Mauritania.

He later had a change of heart and said he will only go into exile if judges at the Supreme Court rule against his petition in May.

A disappointed President Aziz left Banjul late in the night for Senegal where he held talks with President Mack Sall.

Yahya Jammeh Bows Down To Pressure, Agrees To Go Into Exile In Mauritania

Barely a few hours before his mandate expires, President Yahya Jammeh of the Gambia is reported to have accepted a last-minute deal to relinquish power peacefully and go into exile. According to reports from Banjul which are yet to be independently confirmed, Mr Jammeh agreed to step down in the interest of peace and stability of the Gambia after a tense closed door meeting with the visiting president of Mauritania, Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz.

Reports added that Mr Jammeh will leave for Mauritania tonight with President Aziz. It is not clear whether he will settle there permanently or move to another country.

Mr Jammeh’s mandate expires at midnight of Wednesday after his surprised defeat in last month’s election by opposition candidate Adama Barrow.

Why President Buhari flew out of Banjul with Barrow on Friday, en route to Mali,

President Buhari arrives Bamako Mali to
attend 27th Africa-France Summit on 13th Jan 2017

(AFP)   President Muhammadu Buhari and other West African leaders, may have tactically taken Gambia’s president-elect, Adama Barrow into safety after a botched attempt to persuade President Yahya Jammeh to voluntarily cede power after he lost the 1 December election. Jammeh’s tenure ends 19 January. And both ECOWAS and the AU have said he would cease to be the leader of West Africa’s smallest country by 20 January.

President Buhari flew out of Banjul with Barrow on Friday, en route to Mali, for what was called crisis talks in hopes of ending the nation’s political impasse.

STATE HOUSE PRESS RELEASE: ECOWAS MISSION TO THE GAMBIA PUSHED TO FRIDAY

President Yahya Jammeh of The Gambia

At the instance of President Yahya Jammeh of The Gambia, the High Level ECOWAS mediation mission led by Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari has pushed forward its visit to Banjul, the capital of Gambia, to Friday.

In accepting to postpone the visit earlier planned to take place on Wednesday, President Buhari, who is mediating alongside Mr. John Mahama, the immediate past president of Ghana said the delay notwithstanding, the mandate of the ECOWAS will be accomplished.

President Buhari reiterated the appeal on Monday by ECOWAS leaders that the Gambian leaders do everything they can to douse the tension in the West African country, which has led citizens to leave the country due to political uncertainty.

Gambia’s President-elect, Adama Barrow says "I’m alive and well"

* Shakes off assassination rumour

* Gambia Army chief declares support of armed forces for Jammeh

Gambia’s president-elect, Adama Barrow

Contrary to media reports, Gambia’s president-elect, Adama Barrow is hale and hearty. CBN Television, Banjul had ‎earlier reported that he was murdered by that unknown assailants who overpowered his security guards, leaving two dead and six others injured from gunshots.



Reacting to the report, popular Gambian journalist Fatu Camara wrote: “BREAKING: We are getting reports that due to threats on the lives of coalition members, many of them are currently evacuated to safe houses..
Meanwhile, contrary to fake news going around that President Elect Barrow and two security guards were assassinated, we can confirm to you that Barrow is fine as we speak. Stay tuned!,” she posted on Facebook
However, a tweet from his official handle, @adama_barrow, ‎said he’s alive and well. “We would like to inform you that the President-elect is alive and well. #Gambia‎”, it read. His rumoured death is coming few days after he referred to the country’s constitution that a court action taken by supposed outgoing President Yahya Jammeh cannot prevent the winner of the poll from assuming office as mandated by the constitution.

Think Twice, 11 Gambian Ambassadors Ask Jammeh to Quit

No fewer than 11 serving Ambassadors of The Gambia have called on President Yahya Jammeh to quit and handover power peacefully to President-elect Adama Barrow.

Mr Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesman for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, told UN Correspondents during a press briefing on Thursday.

Haq said the Permanent Representative of The Gambia to the UN, Mamadou Tangara, was among the Gambian envoys who appealed to Jammeh to peacefully transit power.

“The Secretary-General met today with the outgoing Permanent Representative of the Islamic Republic of The Gambia to the United Nations, Mamadou Tangara, to discuss the deteriorating political situation in the country.