Unconfirmed reports said that as tension continued to mount, the wife and children of the outgoing Gambian president, Yahya Jammeh allegedly abandoned him and have equally fled the country’s capital of Banjul on the eve of the deadline given Jammeh by the ECOWAS and the African Union to step down.
The Senegalese Government gave Jammeh till midnight of 18th January, 2017 to vacate presidency seat or he would be ousted militarily. This order was backed by both the ECOWAS bloc and the UN.
However, many hours after the elapse of the deadline, Jammeh has stayed put, undeterred by the mounting troops from the West african bloc at the Gambian border who are ready to militarily oust him from power.
Meanwhile, both Jammeh’s vice, The Gambia’s Vice President, Isatou Njie Saidy has also abandoned him after quitting her position in Jammeh’s government amid rising political tensions as Yahya Jammeh refuses to step down as president despite losing a December election.
Saidy, who had been in the role since 1997, is the highest level official to abandon Jammeh’s camp in his standoff with opposition leader Adama Barrow, who won the election.
Also, The Gambia’s army chief, Ousman Badjie has equally said he would not back Jammeh’s fight by ordering his men to fight other African troops if they enter Gambian territory. Calling the fight a stupid one, Ousman said, “We are not going to involve ourselves militarily. This is a political dispute.”
After eating dinner in a tourist district close to the capital, Banjul, the army chief added, “I am not going to involve my soldiers in a stupid fight. I love my men,” he added, stopping to pose for selfies with admirers while dressed in fatigues, beret and green t-shirt, according to those present.
“We are not going to involve ourselves militarily. This is a political dispute…I am not going to involve my soldiers in a stupid fight. I love my men. “If they (Senegalese) come in, we are here like this,” Badjie said, making a hands up to surrender gesture.
Also, thousands of Gambians and tourists have equally fled the country in droves. Bus parks were scenes of chaos as people boarded buses, packing suitcases onto trucks and hiring canoes to flee the capital of Banjul.
The Banjul airport was also chaotic as many people struggled to board planes to fly out of the country.
Meanwhile, the President-elect, Adama Barrow has declared that Jammeh’s presidency is officially over.
Barrow who took to his twitter handle to also announce that his inauguration will proceed by 4pm in The Gambian Embassy in Dakar, Senegal, the neighbouring country where he sought sojourn also told his people that a new era had begun for The Gambia and its citizens.
Arriving back at Manchester airport in northern England, several passengers could be seen comforting a Gambian national and UK resident who had tried unsuccessfully to get his family out. Speaking, Ebrima Jajne described the situation as “really scary for everybody… because this president (Jammeh) doesn’t want to step down and people are fleeing.”
Tourist Ralph Newton said local residents had done what they could to reassure visitors, despite the threat to themselves. “All the locals were just worried … They said it’s a bad time for us but you’ll be all right… It’ll be us they come for, if they come for anybody.”
And Sara Wilkins, another tourist, said they had struggled to get clear information on the developing situation. “We weren’t told anything… I kept phoning Thomas Cook and they just like … don’t worry about it,” she said. “I rang Thomas Cook again this morning and they said pack your bags, you’ve got to go.”
Despite the build-up along the border, an army source revealed that Senegalese troops were “not yet” present on Gambian soil.
After 11th-hour talks in Banjul, Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz flew on to Dakar where he met Barrow for talks at which Senegal’s President Macky Sall was also present, the private RFM radio station reported. It was not clear whether the Mauritanian leader had secured a deal or made an asylum offer to Jammeh.
The last-minute intervention came after several unsuccessful attempts at diplomacy by the 15-nation Economic Community Of West African States (ECOWAS). Mauritania is not part of ECOWAS and diplomats have previously reached out to the conservative desert nation in hopes of brokering a deal with Jammeh.
ECOWAS heads the regional force massing on Gambian-Senegalese border. Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Amnesty International chief Salil Shetty hailed ECOWAS efforts to resolve the crisis.
“ECOWAS has stood up, and they don’t always do that, he said. “It’s an important message to Jammeh, both from the people of The Gambia, the people of Africa, and from neighbouring states, that it’s not business as usual anymore.” Agency report.
Jammeh may have fled!