THE GAMBIA: PRESIDENT BUHARI HOSTS WEST AFRICAN LEADERS IN ABUJA ON MONDAY

In furtherance of his mandate as mediator, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari will be hosting four other West African leaders to a meeting aimed at avoiding violence and preserving democracy in The Gambia.

President Buhari, and the immediate past President of Ghana, John Mahama as Mediator and Co-Mediator respectively, have also been mandated by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to ensure the safety of the President-elect, Adama Barrow and ensure a peaceful handover of power on January 19.

The meeting in Abuja is following the one in Accra on the sidelines of the inauguration of that country's President which expressed the readiness of the leaders of the sub-region to continue the pursuit of dialogue with the leaders of The Gambia.

The GAMBIA: PRESIDENT BUHARI BEGINS THE ACTUALISATION OF ECOWAS MANDATE

In the discharge of his mandate as the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) mediator for The Gambia, President Muhammadu Buhari has activated the process for the execution of his task .

One of the outcomes of the just-concluded ECOWAS Summit held on December 17, 2016 in Abuja was the decision to designate President Muhammadu Buhari as the Mediator for The Gambia with Mr. John Mahama, the out- going President of Ghana as Co-Mediator.

The Summit also gave the terms of reference to include ensuring the safety of the President-Elect, Adama Barrow, the political leaders and the entire population; upholding the result of the Presidential election held on December 1, 2016 and ensuring that the President-elect is sworn into office on January 19, 2017, in conformity with the constitution of the country.

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.