The ECOWAS Commission has said its coalition force in The Gambia would remain for the next six months, as requested by President Adama Barrow.

Marcel de Souza said this while briefing members of the diplomatic corps and partner organisations on the political situation in The Gambia on Tuesday in Abuja.

Mr. De Souza, however, said that retaining troops in that country would be decided by the Chiefs of Army Staff.

 “By the end of the week, the forces will fall back.

“Barrow would like us to have a sufficient force on ground for about six months; we will see which troops will be withdrawn and which would be retained.”

He said the ECOWAS Mission in The Gambia was to secure peace contrary to reports that there was a military force in the country after former President Yayah Jammeh’s departure.

“We needed to have a specific strategy and prevent a single shot being fired and bloodshed.

“Orders were given for forces to move to Banjul; it was a force to secure the situation, the environment and the life of Barrow, not a military move.

“What if there was an assassination attempt on his life, it will question the whole process.

“We are waiting for a report, by today or tomorrow we will be able to indicate that Barrow will return,” he said.</s>BANJUL, Gambia – Gambia’s new President Adama Barrow will arrive in the country on Thursday, a week after he was sworn into office in neighboring Senegal, officials with the new government confirmed Wednesday.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the press about the matter.

Gambians eagerly await Barrow, who has promised to reverse many of the actions of longtime leader Yahya Jammeh. Barrow defeated Jammeh in December elections that the ruling party challenged.

Jammeh finally flew into exile over the weekend after international pressure, ending a more than 22-year rule. He has been accused by rights groups and others of leading a government that suppressed opponents with detentions, beatings and killings.

A West African regional military force that was poised to oust Jammeh if diplomatic talks failed has been securing Gambia for Barrow’s arrival. He has requested that the force remain in Gambia for six months, but it is unclear whether heads of state with the regional bloc known as ECOWAS will approve a deployment of that length.

Barrow has been waiting in Senegal, where he took the oath of office at Gambia’s embassy amid fears for his safety.

He has been busy this week forming his Cabinet and has named a woman, Fatoumata Tabajang, as vice president. She has vowed to seek prosecution for Jammeh, who flew with family and close aides to Equatorial Guinea.

On Tuesday, Gambia’s lawmakers lifted the country’s state of emergency and revoked a three-month extension of Jammeh’s term, as the new government began dismantling his final attempts to cling to power.</s>Jammeh, who seized power in a 1994 coup, initially conceded defeat to opposition rival Adama Barrow but then called for fresh elections, drawing condemnation from local opponents and foreign powers.

The veteran leaders' refusal to step down has opened up the possibility of a military intervention by West African forces after the ECOWAS body said it was putting military forces on alert. Jammeh called that a "declaration of war".

Teranga FM and Hilltop Radio were closed on Sunday, said Emil Touray, head of the Gambia Press Union. Teranga's headquarters were shut down by a police officer and four members of the National Intelligence Agency, he said.

A government spokesman said he could not confirm the closures. Touray said he had no further details.

It was not immediately clear why the two stations were targeted by Jammeh, under whose 22-year authoritarian rule the media has come under regular attack, rights campaigners say.

Teranga FM, popular for its review of newspapers in the local wolof and mandinka languages, has been closed four times in recent years.

The station's managing director Alagie Ceesay was arrested in July, 2015, and charged with sedition. He was hospitalized twice in early 2016 while still in detention, Amnesty International said, and later fled to neighbouring Senegal.

"It is a slap in the face of the country's democratic process," said Touray. "People will not have access to information in this critical period of our history."

Barrow's election victory was seen as a surprising triumph for democracy in Gambia, which gained independence from Britain in 1965 but has since had only two presidents. But the elation seen on the streets of Banjul in the days after Barrow's victory was quickly extinguished by Jammeh's defiant stance. (Editing by Richard Lough)</s>The ECOWAS forces are to remain in the Gambia for the next six months following a request by the country’s new President Adama Barrow said the ECOWAS Commission according to a report by Premium Times.

“Barrow would like us to have a sufficient force on ground for about six months; we will see which troops will be withdrawn and which would be retained.” Said ECOWAS Commission President Marcel de Souza, while briefing members of the diplomatic corps and partner organizations on the political situation in The Gambia on Tuesday in Abuja, Nigeria

De Souza added that the Chiefs of Army Staff has the final word on keeping the ECOWAS forces in the East African nation. The forces are meant to fall back by the end of the week.

West African countries, member states to ECOWAS, met the cost of maintaining the troops.

Yahya Jammeh left The Gambia for Equatorial Guinea on Friday after final mediation efforts by Presidents Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz of Mauritania and Alpha Conde of Guinea. – Newsof Africa</s>President Adama Barrow is set to return to The Gambia on Thursday after his predecessor Yahya Jammeh finally quit power under threat of a military intervention, west African political sources said.

A source close to the Senegalese presidency and a diplomatic source in The Gambia’s capital Banjul on Wednesday confirmed the announcement made on a Facebook page linked to the new president that Barrow is due to arrive on Thursday at 4:00 pm (1600 GMT).</s>BANJUL, Gambia (AP) — Gambia’s new President Adama Barrow will arrive in the country on Thursday, a week after he was sworn into office in neighboring Senegal, a spokesman for the opposition coalition confirmed Wednesday.

Barrow is expected to arrive in Banjul at 5 p.m. local time Thursday, said Halifa Sallah. Barrow was waiting for the West African regional force to confirm that it was safe from him to return to Gambia, said Sallah.

Barrow was sworn into office last week in neighboring Senegal, where he was for his safety. A new inauguration will be held on Gambian soil, said Halifa, speaking on Senegalese radio. “We will organize a ceremony soon at the stadium. It will be an occasion to show strength. Everyone will be invited. The president will address his people.”

Gambians eagerly await Barrow, who has promised to reverse many of the actions of longtime leader Yahya Jammeh. Barrow defeated Jammeh in December elections that the ruling party challenged.

Jammeh finally flew into exile over the weekend after African and international pressure, ending a more than 22-year rule. He has been accused by rights groups and others of leading a government that suppressed opponents with detentions, beatings and killings.

A West African regional military force that was poised to oust Jammeh if diplomatic talks failed has been securing Gambia for Barrow’s arrival. He has requested that the force remain in Gambia for six months, but it is unclear whether heads of state with the regional bloc, known as ECOWAS, will approve a deployment for that long.

He has been busy this week forming his Cabinet and has named a woman, Fatoumata Tabajang, as vice president. She has vowed to seek prosecution for Jammeh, who flew with family and close aides to Equatorial Guinea.

On Tuesday, Gambia’s lawmakers lifted the country’s state of emergency and revoked a three-month extension of Jammeh’s term, as the new government began dismantling his final attempts to cling to power.</s>A former top loyalist to the dictator who ruled the West African country of Gambia for 22 years has requested asylum in Switzerland, authorities said.



Gambia’s former interior minister, Ousman Sonko, has applied for asylum in Switzerland where he has been been living in an asylum center in canton Bern since last November, Hans-Jürg Käser, head of the canton’s police and military department, confirmed to Swiss public television, SRF.



Sonko, who commanded an elite squad that activists say was notorious for its brutality, fled Gambia after Gambia's then-strongman president Yahya Jammeh sacked him last fall. The ex-interior minister reportedly sought residency in Sweden before landing in Switzerland.



As a former top lieutenant to Jammeh, Sonko also could offer a wealth of intelligence on former Gambian president Jammeh’s reported connections to money launderers, drug traffickers and others with ties to organized crime or terror-linked organizations.



Jammeh, whom rights groups say led a government that routinely detained, beat and killed its opponents, was defeated in December elections that the ruling party challenged. He finally left the country this month under international pressure backed by a West African regional military force. Hundreds of Gambians disappeared during Jammeh’s rule.



Gambia's new president, Adama Barrow, is set to arrive from neighboring Senegal where he was safely ensconced while waiting for things to settle. Barrow has promised to undo many of Jammeh’s repressive actions. Gambia's lawmakers lifted the country's state of emergency.



Sonko also may have left with a lot of cash. According to Gambian officials, his one-time boss, Jammeh, stole millions of dollars from government accounts and loaded a cargo plane full of luxury cars that he sent abroad. A special adviser to Barrow has told journalists that Jammeh stole $11.4 million in one two-week period alone.



Sonko, who presented a diplomatic passport to Swiss authorities, was assigned to Bernese cantonal authorities in mid-November after undergoing interrogation protocols, Käser told the Swiss News Agency. The State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) is following the case. It regulates the conditions under which people can enter Switzerland to live and work and decides who will receive protection from persecution.</s>Gambian President Adama Barrow has requested that troops of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) should remain in his country for the next six months.ECOWAS Commission President Marcel Alain de Souza, who revealed this yesterday in Abuja, said Barrow would go back to his country from Senegal as soon as it was convenient.He said the regional body was doing everything possible to ensure that Barrow return to his country.“He will go when he is sure that the country is safe for him,” de Souza said.He noted that the ECOWAS force must be sure that there is no stockpiling of arms.Barrow, according to the president of ECOWAS Commission, also requested that sufficient force be on ground for the next six months.On the request of amnesty by former President Yahya Jammeh, de-Souza said it was yet to be approved by ECOWAS, African Union (AU) and the United Nations (UN).He explained that such a request must get the nod of these bodies before it can be granted, stressing that the blanket request of the former president, which includes his family members, supporters and aides would have to follow UN procedures.The ECOWAS Commission boss hinted that the former strongman might not get all what he requested for, as he cannot be guaranteed anything outside what any other citizen in the country gets.He stressed that the constitution and the laws would have to be enforced as the UN, AU and ECOWAS have to validate his request.The ECOWAS has told President Barrow not to witch-hunt his predecessor.The regional body advised that the issue of unifying and rebuilding of the country should be paramount.Also yesterday, the Gambian National Assembly revoked a state of emergency declared by Jammeh in an attempt to stay in power.</s>Barrow took the oath of office on Thursday at Gambia's embassy in Senegal, calling for international support from West Africa's ECOWAS bloc, the African Union and the United Nations.

A regional military force launched an intervention effort, dubbed Operation Restore Democracy, shortly after the former opposition figure was sworn in.

"We think that up until the last minute there is still a solution through dialogue," said Marcel de Souza, head of the ECOWAS commission, explaining the decision to suspend the advance to reporters in Dakar late on Thursday.

During his inauguration speech Barrow appealed to ECOWAS, the African Union and the United Nations for support for his government and Gambia's people.

"This is a day no Gambian will ever forget," Barrow said after taking the oath, which was administered by the president of Gambia's bar association. "Our national flag will now fly high among the most democratic nations of the world."

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.

De Souza said a total of 7,000 troops from Senegal, Nigeria, Ghana, Togo and Mali would be involved in the operation. Troops had already entered Gambia from the southeast, southwest and north before they were ordered to stop.

The advance will resume at noon (1200 GMT) on Friday if Jammeh still refused to leave, he said. Barrow will return to Gambia once the operation is over.

The U.N. Security Council on Thursday backed ECOWAS's efforts to ensure Barrow assumes power, and the United States said it supported the intervention.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in a statement pledged "his full support for his (Barrow's) determination, and ECOWAS's historic decision, with the unanimous backing of the Security Council, to restore the rule of law in The Gambia so as to honour and respect the will of the Gambian people."

ECOWAS and the African Union previously said they would recognise Barrow from Thursday, and nations including the United Kingdom and France were quick to congratulate him.

Following Barrow's swearing in, hundreds of Gambians celebrated in the streets of Banjul, the capital, cautiously at first, and then gradually in larger numbers as they realised the security forces looking on were not going to open fire.

Army chief General Ousman Badjie, who had publicly stood by Jammeh, was seen smiling on the streets wading through a mass of jubilant Banjul residents shouting and dancing.

Cars raced up and down the highway lined with iron-roofed shops in the pro-Barrow Serrekunda district of Banjul, with horns honking and people hanging out the windows.

"The dictator is out," shouted pharmacist Lamine Jao, 30, as others cheered and whistled in agreement. "It's just a question of time. We'll soon flush him out. Believe me."

During the brief inauguration speech, Barrow asserted his new role as commander and chief of Gambia's armed services, ordering soldiers to stay calm and remain in their barracks. Those who did not would be considered rebels, he said.

ECOWAS will send a team led by Guinea's president, Alpha Conde, and including the presidents of Liberia and Mauritania to Banjul on Friday, de Souza said.

If the mission succeeds, Jammeh will travel to Guinea before choosing a country of exile.

"It's out of the question that he stays in place. ... We propose that he leaves in an honourable manner and with respect," said de Souza, who added that regional leaders were open to the possibility of an amnesty as part of a deal.

It was unclear what Jammeh's next move would be. He has so far ignored pressure to step aside and offers of exile.

He now faces almost total diplomatic isolation and a government riddled by defections. In the biggest loss yet, Vice President Isatou Njie Saidy, who has held the role since 1997, quit on Wednesday.

In a statement released late on Thursday, Jammeh announced he was dissolving his government - a 19-member Cabinet, half of whose members had already resigned - and pledged to name a new one "in due course."

Fearing unrest, thousands of Gambians have fled in recent weeks, the United Nations estimates.

Tour companies, meanwhile, have rushed to evacuate hundreds of European tourists.

Gambia's long, sandy beaches have made it a prime destination for tourists, but Jammeh, who once vowed to rule for "a billion years," has earned a reputation for rights abuses and stifling dissent.</s>After a 22-year rule, Gambia’s longtime leader, Yahya Jammeh has finally agreed to step down from power after refusing to accept defeat during last year’s election. West African armies invaded the country to remove the recalcitrant leader who refused to concede an election defeat to President Adama Barrow.

In December’s election, Jammeh lost to his opponent, Barrow and initially conceded defeat. Nonetheless, he later had a change of mind and declared the vote unfair.

Apparently, there won’t be any need for violence now since he has taken a decision to step aside thus, bringing an end to a reign that began in 1994 when he seized power in a coup. His government was notorious for torturing and killing perceived opponents to ensure he has no rivalry.

In a statement made in the face of pressure, Jammeh succumbed to the pressure from concerned West African countries. “I have decided today in good conscience to relinquish the mantle of leadership of this great nation,” he said on state television.

Without giving any details of what deal he might have struck, the disgraced president decided to step aside to avoid bloodshed “not necessary that a single drop of blood be shed,” he said.

Clad in a white robe and looking tired, Jammeh was due to leave Banjul early Saturday afternoon. In addition, he will be going into exile in Guinea Conakry. The official statement followed hours of talks between Yahya Jammeh and West African mediators.

Mr. Barrow who has been in neighbouring Senegal for days was inaugurated as president in the Gambian embassy there on Thursday.

Subsequently, troops from several West African nations, including Senegal were deployed in Gambia. Their mission was to drive former president Jammeh out of office if he did not agree to go
Gambian President Adama Barrow returns to the Gambia after being sworn in as president in Senegal, bringing an end to the country's political crisis.