JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Who is defeated Gambian ruler Yahya Jammeh, and why does he refuse to step down?

As regional leaders flew in for last-ditch negotiations and a regional military force was poised to swoop in and force him out, Jammeh remained Friday at his official residence. Often startlingly outspoken, he has issued no public comment since his mandate expired first thing Thursday, even as new President Adama Barrow was sworn in at Gambia’s embassy in neighboring Senegal.

Jammeh ruled the tiny West African country for more than two decades and once vowed to rule for a billion years. He represented one of a dwindling number of West African leaders staying in office without apparent limit. Getting him to leave peacefully would help the vast region move toward more stable transfers of power.

Jammeh has been described as mercurial, unpredictable. And he is prone to the dramatic: He shocked Gambians by conceding his December election loss in a jovial telephone call on live television to Barrow. But a week later he announced he had changed his mind. With the possibility of prosecution hanging over him for human rights abuses alleged during his time in power, he decided to challenge the election results in court.

The international community was not amused, and the U.N. secretary-general, the head of the African Union continental body and others have announced their support for Gambia’s new leader, Barrow.

Jammeh is increasingly isolated: After several cabinet ministers resigned in recent days, he has dissolved his Cabinet.

Jammeh, who first seized power in a 1994 coup, has insisted that his rule was ordained by Allah. After his election loss, he declared that “only Allah” could make him leave.

Human rights groups have long accused Jammeh of arresting, jailing and killing political opponents, and fears for Barrow’s safety have kept the newly inaugurated president in neighboring Senegal for now. Jammeh also has issued increasingly virulent statements against sexual minorities, vowing to slit the throats of gay men and saying the LGBT acronym should stand for “leprosy, gonorrhea, bacteria and tuberculosis.”

As other longtime West African strongmen have died or been forced to step down in recent years, Jammeh has remained a rare exception — even launching a campaign to anoint himself “King of Gambia.”

Jammeh has a history of making startling declarations. In 2007, he claimed to have developed a cure for AIDS that involved an herbal body rub and bananas. Alarming public health experts, he insisted AIDS sufferers stop taking antiretroviral medications and try his cure instead.

Two years later, his government rounded up nearly 1,000 people it accused of being witches, forcing them to drink a hallucinogen that caused diarrhea and vomiting. Two people died, according to Amnesty International.

More recently, Jammeh seemed bent on increasing Gambia’s isolation. In 2013 he exited the Commonwealth, a group made up mostly of former British colonies, dismissing it as a “neo-colonial institution.” And last year, he announced that the country would leave the International Criminal Court, calling it the “International Caucasian Court.”</s>Gambia's defeated leader Yahya Jammeh will step down and leave the country, Mauritania's president said early Saturday, while Gambia's new president declared that "the rule of fear" in the tiny West African nation had ended.

Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz spoke with reporters at the airport shortly before boarding his flight home, calling the news a victory for Gambia. He had been part of last-ditch talks to try to persuade Jammeh to cede power to Adama Barrow, who won election last month, while a regional force was poised to move in if negotiations failed.

A State House official close to the situation said Jammeh would leave within three days, possibly on Saturday with Guinean President Alpha Conde, who was spending the night in Gambia's capital, Banjul. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not permitted to speak about the situation to press.

Jammeh has refused to accept his loss to Barrow, who was inaugurated Thursday at Gambia's embassy in neighboring Senegal because of concerns for his safety. It was not clear when Barrow would return to Gambia.

Jammeh, who first seized power in a 1994 coup, has been holed up in his official residence in Banjul, and was becoming increasingly isolated as his security forces abandoned him and he dissolved his Cabinet.

Defense forces chief Ousmane Badjie told The Associated Press that Gambia's security services now support Barrow and would not oppose the regional force that was ready to move against Jammeh if he refused to step down.

"You cannot push us to war for an issue we can solve politically," Badjie said. "We don't see any reason to fight."

The force, including tanks, rolled into Gambia without facing any resistance, said Marcel Alain de Souza, chairman of the West African regional bloc, ECOWAS. At least 20 military vehicles were seen Friday at the border town of Karang.

The force included troops from Senegal, Ghana, Nigeria, Togo and Mali, and they moved in after Barrow's inauguration and a unanimous vote by the U.N. Security Council to support the regional efforts.

Fearing violence, about 45,000 people have fled Gambia for Senegal, according to the Senegalese government and the U.N. refugee agency.

Jammeh earlier had agreed to step down but demanded amnesty for any crimes he may have committed during his 22 years in power and wanted to stay in Gambia, in his home village of Kanilai, de Souza said Friday.

Those demands were not acceptable to ECOWAS, he added. The Mauritanian and Guinean leaders then held hours of talks with Jammeh to work out a deal.

Some of Gambia's diplomatic missions began switching their allegiance, while some African nations announced they no longer recognized Jammeh.

"We embrace and support the new president Adama Barrow," said Almamy Kassama, an official at the Gambian mission to the African Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in an email.

In his inaugural speech, Barrow urged Jammeh to step aside and called for Gambia's armed forces to stay in their barracks.

Banjul was peaceful. Senegalese radio station RFM reported 30 Gambian soldiers had crossed into Senegal to fight alongside the regional forces.

"I think the Gambian military would know it's outnumbered," said Maggie Dwyer, an expert on West African armed forces at the University of Edinburgh. "Gambia's military has very little combat experience. This would be a very difficult situation for them."

She estimated it had 2,400 troops at most, plus fewer than 1,000 paramilitary forces.

"My guess is a very small number would actually put their life on the line for Jammeh," though some could stand by him to get the same deal he might receive to avoid prosecution, Dwyer said.

Soldiers at checkpoints in Banjul appeared relaxed, with one telling visitors, "Welcome to the smiling coast."

Late Friday, Barrow addressed members of Gambia's diaspora and urged them to return home and rebuild their lives. "I wish to congratulate all of you and welcome you to the new Gambia," he said.</s>Hundreds of tourists evacuated from The Gambia

Thomas Cook is evacuating nearly 1,000 UK customers home from The Gambia following a change in Foreign Office (FCO) travel advice.

A 90-day state of emergency has been declared in the country after its president of 22 years, Yahya Jammeh, has refused to hand over power after losing an election last year.

Senegalese troops are poised to enter the country if no political solution is reached by midnight, an official said.</s>Staff Reporter| Botswana has made history becoming the first African state to slap Yahya Jammeh with a rejection.

Ian Khama’s government announced today it no longer recognises Yahya Jammeh as The Gambia’s president.

The development came as the UN Security Council passed a move to later today vote on a draft resolution for a military attack on Jammeh.

The AFP news agency reports that the UN will today vote to support efforts by the West African regional bloc to transfer power in The Gambia to Adama Barrow.

The Economic Community Of West African States (Ecowas) has prepared a force to intervene in The Gambia if Yahya Jammeh des not give up power today following his defeat in elections on 1 December.

The Gambia, the smallest country in mainland Africa, is part of Ecowas.

Adama Barrow won last year’s elections, a development that saw Jammeh accept the defeat. But days later he performed a u-turn announcing that the election count was inaccurate and the man who once vowed he will rule the country for a billion years, now refuses to go.</s>Yahya Jammeh has ruled a tiny slice of West Africa for 22 years, but his refusal to step down Wednesday after his defeat in last month's elections in Gambia has created an outsized headache for regional leaders. Jammeh was supposed to leave power to pave the way for Thursday's inauguration of President-elect Adama Barrow , but parliament voted to extend his term for 90 days, testing the resolve of West African leaders who have threatened send in a military force to oust him if he doesn't go.

Start the conversation, or Read more at Los Angeles Times.</s>Dakar - After more than two decades in power, Gambian President Yahya Jammeh faced the prospect of a military intervention by regional forces, as the man who once pledged to rule the West African nation for a billion years clung to power.

A few minutes after a midnight deadline set by the West African regional bloc to step down, there was no word from Jammeh.

Earlier, a military commander with the regional bloc known as Ecowas announced that troops were positioning along Gambia's borders.

"The mandate of the president is finished at midnight," declared Seydou Maiga Moro, speaking on Senegalese radio station RFM. "All the troops are already in place," he added, saying they were merely waiting to see whether Jammeh would acquiesce to international pressure to cede power to President-elect Adama Barrow.

As midnight approached, Jammeh met with Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz on the crisis. The Mauritanian plane left Gambia shortly before midnight.

Thousands of Gambians have fled the country, including some former cabinet ministers who resigned in recent days. Hundreds of foreign tourists were evacuating on special charter flights, though some continued to relax poolside despite the political turmoil. Gambia is a popular beach destination in winter, especially for tourists from Britain, the former colonial power.

The downtown area of the Gambian capital, Banjul, was empty late on Wednesday, with all shops closed. But there was no visible military presence apart from a checkpoint at the entrance to the city, despite the threat of incoming forces.

Tiny Gambia is surrounded by Senegal and the Atlantic Ocean. Late Wednesday, witnesses reported Senegalese soldiers deploying in the Senegalese Kaolack region, north of Gambia, and in the southern Senegalese region of Casamance.

In another sign of the international pressure, Nigeria confirmed a warship was heading toward Gambia for "training," and RFM radio reported that Nigerian military equipment had begun arriving in Dakar in advance of the midnight deadline. Ghana also has pledged to contribute militarily.

The regional bloc was seeking the UN Security Council's endorsement of its "all necessary measures" to remove Jammeh. "There is a sense that the whole situation rests in the hands of one person, and it's up to that person, the outgoing president of the Gambia, to draw the right conclusions," said Sweden's UN Ambassador Olof Skoog, the current council president.

Jammeh, who first seized power in a 1994 coup, has insisted that his rule was ordained by Allah. He initially conceded defeat after the December vote, but after reports emerged suggesting he could face criminal charges linked to his rule, he reversed himself a week later. He said voting irregularities invalidated the results, and his party went to court seeking a new round of voting. The case has stalled because the supreme court currently only has one sitting judge.

Human rights groups have long accused Jammeh of arresting, jailing and killing political opponents, and there have been widespread fears for Barrow's safety amid the post-election turmoil. Tensions have been so high that Barrow has remained in the Senegalese capital since last weekend, at the advice of Ecowas mediators, who feared for his safety. He was not even able to return to Banjul for his 7-year-old son's funeral on Monday after the child was fatally mauled by a dog.

The opposition vowed on Wednesday to go ahead with Barrow's inauguration, though there were no signs of preparation at the Banjul stadium where it was supposed to be held. It was unclear whether Barrow would take the oath at a Gambian Embassy outside the country or if he would return.

"Those who resist peaceful change, effective 12 midnight tonight, shall face definite consequences, to their peril," said Mai Ahmad Fatty, Barrow's special adviser, in a Facebook post on Wednesday in which he urged Gambians to stay indoors. "Anyone with firearms tonight shall be deemed a rebel, and will certainly become a legitimate target."

As other longtime West African strongmen have died or been forced to step down in recent years, Jammeh has remained a rare exception — even launching a campaign to anoint himself "King of Gambia."

In 2007, he claimed to have developed a cure for Aids that involved an herbal body rub and bananas. Alarming public health experts, he insisted Aids sufferers stop taking antiretroviral medications.

Two years later, his government rounded up nearly 1 000 people it accused of being witches, forcing them to drink a hallucinogen that caused diarrhea and vomiting. Two people died, according to Amnesty International.

More recently, Jammeh seemed bent on increasing Gambia's isolation on the world stage. In 2013 he exited the Commonwealth, a group made up mostly of former British colonies, branding it a "neo-colonial institution."

He also issued increasingly virulent statements against sexual minorities, vowing to slit the throats of gay men and saying the LGBT acronym should stand for "leprosy, gonorrhea, bacteria and tuberculosis." And in October, Jammeh said Gambia would leave the International Criminal Court, which he dismissed as the "International Caucasian Court."</s>(DAKAR, Senegal) — A military commander with West Africa’s regional bloc says its forces will “take action” at midnight unless a solution is found to Gambia’s political crisis before then.

Speaking on Senegalese radio station RFM, Seydou Maiga Mboro declared that “all the troops are already in place” awaiting the deadline for President Yahya Jammeh to step down.

Witnesses in Senegal have reported seeing troops making their way toward Gambia’s borders.

Jammeh has refused to cede power after 22 years at the helm despite losing the Dec. 1 election to Adama Barrow.

The president-elect has vowed to go ahead with his inauguration anyway on Thursday, and ECOWAS, the regional bloc, has vowed to use military force if necessary to remove him.</s>(CNN) A midnight deadline has passed in the Gambia, leaving the African country in flux with two presidents and West African troops massed on the border.

Outgoing President Yahya Jammeh has refused to step down since losing the December election to rival Adama Barrow, who was due to take power on Thursday

Troops from several West African countries were ready to enter Gambia if Jammeh didn't step aside by midnight, Colonel Seydou Maiga Moro with the Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS) told Senegal's state media.

"All the troops are already on site," Moro said. "If no solution has been reached by midnight, we will take action."

Hours after the deadline passed, it was unclear whether they'd made good on the pledge.

Hundreds of tourists were pouring out of the Gambia on Wednesday as the risk of violence grew.

In a statement on its website, British tour operator Thomas Cook said it would be flying home 985 vacationers from the country within 48 hours, as well as potentially another 2,500 people who only booked flights through the company.

The UK Foreign Office also updated its advice to travelers, cautioning against all but essential travel to the Gambia.

"The potential for military intervention and civil disturbance is high and could result in Banjul International Airport being closed on short notice," the site said.

Senegal, Ghana, Togo and Mali are among the countries who have contributed to the military effort, while the Nigerian Air Force said in a statement 200 Air Force troops would join ECOWAS forces.

"The deployment is also to forestall hostilities or breakdown of law and order that may result from the current political impasse in Gambia," the statement said.

After his loss on December 1, Jammeh originally conceded defeat and said he would step down -- but in just over a week, he changed his mind.

Since then, attempts by African leaders and the United States to convince Jammeh to leave have been unsuccessful.

On Tuesday, the outgoing president declared a state of emergency in the country, claiming "a situation exists which, if it is allowed to continue, may lead to a state of public emergency."

Speaking in a televised statement, Jammeh also claimed he had filed an application with Gambia's Supreme Court to prevent Barrow being sworn in.

Barrow is currently waiting in neighboring Senegal for the transition of power.

The President-elect's office insisted in a statement last week that the election result stands.</s>Gambia lawmakers have extended President Yahya Jammeh’s stay in office by 90 days.

The lawmakers had on Wednesday given the controversial leader another 3 months of grace. as announced on the country’s State television.

This, report says is to ward off any form of military action and violence that may result from his insistence to remain as president.

Jammeh who has been in power for over two decades, initially acknowledged opponent Adama Barrow as the winner of elections in December.

He later made a U-turn, rejecting the ballot count and lodged a complaint with the country’s Supreme Court and and vowed never to hand over to the winner of the poll.

Barrow is due to be inaugurated on Thursday, as Nigeria and other West African nations have started deploying troops to the tiny nation.

Jammeh had declared a state of emergency on Tuesday, just days before he was due to step down, with British and Dutch travel agencies scrambling to evacuate thousands of tourists on Wednesday.</s>BANJUL Gambia's army chief on Friday abandoned embattled longtime leader Yahya Jammeh, saying his forces would not fight against a military operation to remove him, as regional leaders led a last ditch effort to convince him to flee into exile.The defection of General Ousman Badjie, who had previously stood by Jammeh, removes what was perhaps the former coup leader's last remaining pillar of support, potentially raising the likelihood of a peaceful solution to the political impasse. New President Adama Barrow, who won December's election, was sworn into office on Thursday and immediately called for regional and international support. West African militaries announced soon after that they had crossed into Gambia. Speaking to Reuters by telephone, Badjie said he recognised Barrow as the army's commander-in-chief and would welcome, not fight, the regional force. "We are going to welcome them with flowers and make them a cup of tea," he said. "This is a political problem. It's a misunderstanding. We are not going to fight Nigerian, Togolese or any military that comes."West African leaders Alpha Conde of Guinea and Mauritania's President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz meanwhile flew to the capital Banjul on Friday to allow Jammeh one last chance to cede power peacefully.U.N. officials, including Mohammed Ibn Chambas, U.N. Special Representative for West Africa and the Sahel, were also involved in the talks.The military operation was halted late on Thursday to give mediation a chance, and a midday deadline was extended on Friday as negotiations, which diplomats said were focusing on a deal to grant Jammeh immunity from prosecution, continued."There is a real possibility this could work. I don't think he is going the (Saddam) Hussein route," said a regional diplomat, referring to the Iraqi leader who was arrested in 2003 following an invasion, tried and hanged.

A senior official from regional bloc ECOWAS, under whose mandate the military operation was launched, said late on Thursday that there was no question that Jammeh would be allowed to remain in Gambia, even if he agreed to step down. FINAL ACT

 Jammeh, in power since a 1994 coup, initially conceded defeat to Barrow following a Dec. 1 election before back-tracking, saying the vote was flawed and demanding a new ballot.

Late on Thursday, he dissolved the government - half of whose members had already resigned - and pledged to name a new one.His estate - located just 1 km from the border with Senegal, Gambia's sole neighbour, which surrounds it on three sides - was heavily fortified on Friday, witnesses say.ECOWAS says its intervention, dubbed Operation Restore Democracy, involves 7,000 troops and is backed by tanks and warplanes. Forces have already entered Gambia from the southeast, southwest and north.The size of Gambia's army is unclear, but estimates of range from 800 to up to 2,500 soldiers.While Barrow's election victory last month and inauguration on Thursday were celebrated by many across the tiny nation of less than 2 million people, support for Jammeh remained strong among some Gambians, who opposed the military intervention.

"Why should the other countries interfere. Why should they force him to leave?" said Momodou Badji, 78, in Banjul's Kanifing neighbourhood.Gambia is of little strategic significance, but if a peaceful transition of power fails, it would be a setback for the advance of democracy in Africa. During his 22-years in power, Jammeh, who once vowed to rule Gambia "for a billion years", has been accused by rights groups of torturing and killing perceived opponents. Yet Gambia remains a popular holiday destination for European tourists drawn to its tropical beaches. Streets in the capital were mostly deserted on Friday and shops, restaurants and petrol stations were shut.The U.N. refugee agency UNHCR said about 45,000 people, mainly children, have fled to Senegal since Jan. 1 amid growing fears of unrest. Thousands of tourists have also left this week. (Additional reporting by Emma Farge and Diadie Ba in Dakar and Kissima Diagana in Nouakchott; Editing by Angus MacSwan; Writing by Matthew Mpoke Bigg and Joe Bavier; Editing by Alison Williams)

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Senegalese forces enter the Gambia as a military operation to end Yahya Jammeh's 22-year rule begins following the inauguration of Adama Barrow.