Gambia declared state of emergency

The Gambia's President has declared a state of emergency. Sources have reported his refusal to step down as president.

West African countries are reportedly preparing for a military intervention in Gambia if President Yahya Jammeh refuses to step down on
Thursday, the day that his successor Adama Barrow was scheduled to take office.

Jammeh, who initially conceded the election to Barrow in a surprise defeat in December, has since reneged his offer to step down, and may be preparing for a fight to stay in office. On Tuesday, Jammeh, who has ruled the tiny and impoverished Gambia for over two decades, declared a state of national emergency in light of what he called “the unprecedented and extraordinary amount of foreign interference” in the Dec. 1 election he lost.

 

The state of emergency puts the country on lockdown, banning “acts of disobedience” and “acts intended to disturb the public order.” He’s also shored up power in the country’s supreme court and national assembly, which are considered mere extensions of the one-man regime. “Jammeh is digging in for a long fight here,” Gambia expert Jeffrey Smith told Foreign Policy.

There may be will in neighboring countries to send in troops to remove him by force. Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) members, including Nigeria and Gambia’s neighbor Senegal, are reportedly preparing troops.