Yahya Jammeh agrees to cede power after 22 years as Gambia’s president
Troops from five African nations are stationed on the tiny west African nation’s borders in the event Jammeh does not keep his promise to leave office
Gambian leader Yahya Jammeh said on Saturday he would step down to keep peace in his country after 22 years in power, following last-chance talks with west African leaders before a military intervention.
Jammeh, a mercurial figure who seized power in a 1994 coup and then was elected to several terms, had boasted he would rule a billion years and said only God could remove him from power. But this week his isolation became complete after Gambian military leaders declared their loyalty to Adama Barrow, and West African troops entered the country from neighbouring Senegal to put more pressure on him to accept the results of last month’s election.
Jammeh spent hours with Guinea and Mauritania’s presidents on Friday in Banjul, where agreement was reached that he would hand power to Barrow, the declared winner of the elections.
Jammeh has accepted he will leave power. The discussions revolve around where he will live in exile
“I have decided today in good conscience to relinquish the mantle of leadership of this great nation with infinite gratitude to all Gambians,” Jammeh said in a statement broadcast on state television.
The leader declared his decision to leave office – after weeks of stalling through threats and legal action – was his alone, despite immense pressure from the international community.
However, agreement was not reached on where he would spend his life after his presidency.
“My decision today was not dictated by anything else than the supreme interest of you the Gambian people and our dear country,” Jammeh said in his speech, thanking Gambians for their support.