Giving up power, Gambian says

Deal with bloc reported to let defeated ruler leave country

Senegalese soldiers wait at a gathering point in the Senegalese town of Karang on the border with Gambia.
Senegalese soldiers wait at a gathering point in the Senegalese town of Karang on the border with Gambia.

BANJUL, Gambia -- Gambia's defeated leader Yahya Jammeh announced early today that he has decided to relinquish power, after hours of last-ditch talks with regional leaders and the threat by a regional military force to make him leave.

"I think it is not necessary that a single drop of blood be shed," Jammeh said in a brief statement on state television.

He did not give details on any deal that was struck, and it was not immediately clear when Adama Barrow, who beat Jammeh in last month's election, would return from neighboring Senegal to take power.

Late Friday, Barrow declared that "the rule of fear" in the tiny West African nation had ended.

Shortly before Jammeh's address, Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz said a deal had been reached and that Jammeh would leave the country. He and Guinean President Alpha Conde had handled the talks.

A government official close to the situation said Jammeh would leave within three days. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not permitted to speak about the situation to the media.

Jammeh had refused to accept his loss to Barrow, who was inaugurated Thursday at the Gambian Embassy in Senegal because of concerns for his safety.

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

Defense forces chief Ousmane Badjie said Friday 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 Economic Community of West African States regional bloc. At least 20 military vehicles were seen Friday at the border town of Karang.

The force is made up of 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 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 the regional bloc, he added.

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.

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

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

Late Friday, Barrow addressed displaced Gambians 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.

Information for this article was contributed by Babacar Dione, Krista Larson, Elias Meseret and Cara Anna of The Associated Press.

A Section on 01/21/2017

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