Fleeing of exruler celebrated
BANJUL/DAKAR: Gambians celebrated in the streets after a West African regional military force entered the capital city of Banjul and took control of the presidential palace, the symbolic seat of exruler Yahya Jammeh’s 22year authoritarian regime.
Jammeh, who refused to accept defeat to opposition challenger Adama Barrow in a December election, flew out of Banjul on Sunday en route to Equatorial Guinea as the regional force was poised to remove him.
Hundreds of Banjul residents assembled outside State House as darkness fell after soldiers, who deployed on Sunday to secure the country, moved in to secure the compound.
Cheering and singing, some revellers sought to capture the moment for posterity, posing for photos with the Senegalese troops.
‘‘We are free,’’ food seller Isatou Toure (35) said.
‘‘Everyone is so happy that man is gone.’’
Senegalese army officials said the force, which also includes troops from Nigeria, Ghana and Mali, met no resistance as they advanced. But even amid the celebrations, troubling details of Jammeh’s departure began to emerge.
Speaking to radio station RFM in Senegal, where he is waiting to return to Gambia, Barrow said that, upon initial inspection, it appeared Jammeh had looted state resources.
‘‘According to information we received, there is no money in the coffers,’’ he said.
In a news conference later in the day, Barrow adviser Mai Ahmad Fatty said 500 million dalasis ($NZ15.93 million) had been withdrawn by Jammeh in the past two weeks.
The regional military operation was first launched on Friday after Barrow was sworn in as president at Gambia’s embassy in neighbouring Senegal, but it was halted hours later to give Jammeh one last chance to leave peacefully.
His departure followed two days of negotiations led by Guinea President Alpha Conde and Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, of Mauritania, prompting speculation over what, if any, terms were agreed upon to convince him to step down. Barrow denied that Jammeh had been offered immunity from prosecution in exchange for leaving the country.
Rights groups accuse Jammeh of jailing, torturing and killing his political opponents while acquiring a vast fortune, including luxury cars and an estate in the United States, as most of his people remained impoverished.
Thousands of Gambians sought asylum abroad over the years. An additional 45,000 people fled to Senegal amid growing fears of unrest in the wake of last month’s election, according to the United Nations.
Hundreds of Gambians carrying sacks, suitcases and cooking pots began returning by ferry from Senegal on Sunday.