Gambia leader un-concedes

DAKAR, Senegal — Gambia’s ruler of more than 22 years announced late Friday that he no longer accepts defeat in the country’s presidential election, reversing course a week after he conceded to his rival.

In a speech on state television, President Yahya Jammeh said that investigations since the Dec. 1 vote have revealed a number of voting irregularities that he called unacceptable.

“I hereby reject the results in totality,” he said in his address that aired late Friday. “Let me repeat: I will not accept the results based on what has happened.”

Only one week ago, Jammeh was filmed on state television calling opposition candidate Adama Barrow to wish him the best.

“You are the elected president of The Gambia, and I wish you all the best,” Jammeh told Barrow at the time. “I have no ill will.”

The dramatic about-face was certain to spark outrage among the opposition and the tens of thousands of Gambians living in exile abroad. Already in the week since Jammeh lost, several dozen political prisoners had been released on bail.

“We are deeply concerned by reports of belated objections to the Gambian election results raised by President Jammeh,” said Babatunde Olugboji, deputy program director at Human Rights Watch. “The international community, notably (regional bloc) ECOWAS and the African Union, should loudly protest any unlawful attempt to subvert the will of the Gambian people.”