Thousands of UK holidaymakers are set to be flown home from The Gambia due to growing political unrest. Travel firm Thomas Cook said it would fly back to the UK, over the next 48 hours, 985 customers from package holidays after the Foreign Office advised “against all but essential travel to The Gambia due to ongoing political uncertainty and potential military intervention following the presidential elections”. With tensions rising in The Gambia, a coalition of states have deployed forces along the country’s borders, poised to launch a military intervention should President Yahya Jammeh refuse to cede power to opposition leader Adama Barrow. Mr Jammeh, who has ruled The Gambia with an iron fist for 22 years, initially acknowledged Mr Barrow as the winner but later said the ballot count was flawed and lodged a complaint with the country's supreme court. This relates to situations where a state or group of states act without explicit UN authorisation to prevent or halt atrocities being perpetrated inside another state. The BBC reports that regional leaders have threatened to use military force to oust Mr Jammeh if he refuses to hand power to President-elect Adama Barrow on Thursday.
Thousands of British tourists are evacuated from the Gambia as West African states prepare to take military action to remove President Yahya Jammeh from power as his term ends.