Troops mass at Gambia border amid political standoff
week declaring a national state of emergency.
senior coalition official Isatou Touray welcomed a declaration by army chief Ousman Badjie that his troops would not prevent Jammeh’s removal by force.
“That’s a very positive outlook from him, given that Jammeh’s regime is done,” Touray said.
“We don’t have to risk the lives of innocent citizens.”
In remarks at a hotel restaurant late Wednesday, Badjie said he loved his men and wouldn’t risk their lives in a “stupid fight,” eyewitnesses said.
Arriving back at Manchester airport in northern England, several passengers could be seen comforting a Gambian national and UK resident who had tried unsuccessfully to get his family out. Speaking to AFP, Ebrima Jajne described the situation as “really scary for everybody . . . because this president [ Jammeh] doesn’t want to step down and people are fleeing.”
And Sara Wilkins, another tourist, said they had struggled to get clear information on the developing situation.
“We weren’t told anything . . . I kept phoning Thomas Cook and they just like ... don’t worry about it,” she said.
“I rang Thomas Cook again this morning and they said pack your bags, you’ve got to go.”
Despite the build-up along the border, an army source told AFP Senegalese troops were “not yet” present on Gambian soil.
Eyes on border
After 11th-hour talks in Banjul, Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz flew on to Dakar where he met Barrow for talks at which Senegal’s President Macky Sall was also present, the private RFM radio station reported.
It was not clear whether the Mauritanian leader had secured a deal or made an asylum offer to Jammeh.
The last-minute intervention came after several unsuccessful attempts at diplomacy by the 15-nation Economic Community Of West African States (ECOWAS).
Mauritania is not part of ECOWAS and diplomats have previously reached out to the conservative desert nation in hopes of brokering a deal with Jammeh.
ECOWAS heads the regional force massing on GambianSenegalese border.
Speaking to AFP at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Amnesty International chief Salil Shetty hailed ECOWAS efforts to resolve the crisis.
“ECOWAS has stood up, and they don’t always do that, he said. “It’s an important message to Jammeh, both from the people of Gambia, the people of Africa, and from neighbouring states, that it’s not business as usual anymore.”