West African troops entered The Gambia Sunday to secure President Adama Barrow’s arrival from neighbouring Senegal, as controversy erupted over the assurances offered to Yahya Jammeh to guarantee his exit.

Jammeh flew out of The Gambia on Saturday, ending 22 years at the helm of the tiny west African nation, and landed in Equatorial Guinea a few hours later where he is expected to settle with his family.

The Senegalese general leading a joint force of troops from five African nations said soldiers had nonetheless entered The Gambia to “control strategic points to ensure the safety of the population and facilitate… Barrow’s assumption of his role.”

A journalist in the Gambian border town of Farafenni saw a convoy crossing the frontier on Sunday morning, which would leave them several hours to reach Banjul.

Senegalese forces had briefly crossed into the former British colony on Thursday but pulled out shortly afterwards, with Sunday’s troop movement the first by soldiers from the joint force.

Marcel Alain de Souza, a top official with the Economic Community Of West African States (ECOWAS), which organised the deployment, said pro-Jammeh elements and mercenaries remained on the ground and had open fired as troops crossed the border.

Adama Barrow
“They were neutralised,” he said in a statement, without elaborating.

De Souza said the country “could not be left open” for long, however, and that Barrow must be in place “as soon as possible”.

“A country must have a government, but the security conditions required the troops we have sent to secure Banjul and other towns,” he said.

– Comfortable terms –

Following Barrow’s win in the December 1 election, Jammeh refused to step down, triggering weeks of uncertainty that almost ended in a full military intervention.

The longtime leader, wearing his habitual white flowing robes, waved to supporters before boarding a small, unmarked plane at Banjul airport alongside Guinea’s President Alpha Conde after two days of talks over a departure deal.
He left behind a small minority of diehard supporters, some of whom wept as his plane departed.

The choice of Equatorial Guinea for his exile had helped ease concerns that Jammeh might interfere in his nation’s politics if he stayed in Guinea, whose border is not far from The Gambia’s eastern region.

The strongman personally controlled certain sections of the security forces, and his long tenure was marked by systematic rights abuses, including extrajudicial killings, torture, and arbitrary detention.


But critics have raised concerns over the wording of a statement issued by the UN, ECOWAS and the African Union that seemed to offer Jammeh comfortable guarantees for his future.

“No legislative measures” would be taken that would infringe the “dignity, security, safety and rights” of Jammeh or his family, it said, noting that he could return when he pleased and that property “lawfully” belonging to him would not be seized.

Equatorial Guinea is not a signatory to the Rome Statute that established the International Criminal Court, meaning Jammeh would not be extradited in the event he was charged with crimes against humanity or other serious offences.

One Banjul-based diplomat described the provision for Jammeh to return to The Gambia without hindrance as ill-advised.

Experts told AFP the document was not legally binding and would be left to the interpretation of the new government.

– ‘Democracy is back’ –

Jammeh took power in a 1994 coup from the country’s only other president since independence from Britain, Dawda Jawara, making this The Gambia’s first democratic transition of power.

“We are going to wait for Barrow at the airport all the way to State House. Before we were scared to come out,” said security guard Babacar Jallow, describing Jammeh as “a killer.”

With Jammeh gone, all eyes will be on the Barrow administration as they make their first steps as a government of reform and development.
“The will of the people has come to be — at last,” said Isatou Touray, a key official in the government-in-waiting.

“Democracy is back, you can’t stop the people.”
The first priority will be to ensure the safe return of tens of thousands of people who have fled in recent weeks fearing a bloody end to the crisis, Touray said on Saturday.

The crisis had also sparked the exodus of thousands of foreign visitors, dealing a potentially devastating blow to a country which earns up to 20 percent of its income from tourism.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/01/troops-enter-gambia-secure-barrows-return/

Exile

Why go on exile? Rule and remember some day you will have to leave power

Thank Jah the power-monger has been conquered. Long Live Barrow!

enough of Gambia issue.........


see USA women protesting in millions over a right that was never taken away
from them




yet we smile in pain in Nigeria and hope God will do something



time for revolution in Nigeria


bubu should carry that his old wrinkled ugly behind back here and use naija hospital

Barrow my man. After all these don't mess up o.

Good job by Ecowas. Say no to dictatorship.

Good development

End of an era. Beginning of another one. Hope the new president works for the good of his people.

I will continue to say it, a 'benevolent' 'dictator' is better than a 'weak' democratic leader, especially in Africa.......

give it one year from now u will see gambiANS LAMENTING FOR JAMMEHS RETURN

pls where is Buhari?

Let Gambians have the feel of a new leader.

Gambia now is the new chidinma and cucumber.....everywhere on nairaland

I swear that jammeh guy get luck,running away at the last minute i think say him get two head

all this african troop forming comando now wer way dem wen dose islamic terorise wanted to over thrugth mali president? if not france intervention .

tired of this news as d main G no fight again

Muslim dictator. Like Jammeh like Bubu.

If nigeria was a working country as before, we don't need those huge concentration of ECOWAS forces at Gambia, Nigerian Govt alone can send forces there to bring that man to Nigeria and keep him here like we did to the "almighty" charles tailor. Nigeria is a dead Nation, notice how her name is not boldly mentioned in all the affairs partaining the evacuation of jameh and replacement of barrow. The tiny senegallese nation has been mentioned in every given opportunity.

I love this. President Barrow I wish you a peaceful and prosperous reign as you guide Gambians back to the path of light. Remember to handover when your time is due... Congrats

he fon wait make buhari show am pepper

Just thinking ooo... I just hope that Barrow ain't a Gambian model of Buhari..after now they will be begging for jammeh.. Is okay.. I have talk and reach.. *Runs out of thread*

All well and good.

Ecowas is a joke they are bunch of hypocrites. They should also force mugabe to relinquish power.

Thank God u arê among

Rashdimuh:
Ecowas is a joke they are bunch of hypocrites. They should also force mugabe to relinquish power.

Are you mentally okay? Is Zimbabwe a part of ECOWAS?

PigMeat:
If nigeria was a working country as before, we don't need those huge concentration of ECOWAS forces at Gambia, Nigerian Govt alone can send forces there to bring that man to Nigeria and keep him here like we did to the "almighty" charles tailor. Nigeria is a dead Nation, notice how her name is not boldly mentioned in all the affairs partaining the evacuation of jameh and replacement of barrow. The tiny senegallese nation has been mentioned in every given opportunity.

And why would Nigeria from thousands of miles away, need to do that when Senegal from next door can do the same job? Besides Nigeria is the only West African Nation who sent a warship and fighter jets. Do you know why? Because Nigeria is the only West African nation who has them.