A midnight deadline has passed in the Gambia, leaving the African country in flux with two presidents and West African troops massed on the border. Outgoing President Yahya Jammeh has refused to step down since losing the December election to rival Adama Barrow, who was due to take power on Thursday.
Troops from several West African countries were ready to enter Gambia if Jammeh didn’t step aside by midnight, Colonel Seydou Maiga Moro with the Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS) told Senegal’s state media.
“All the troops are already on site,” Moro said. “If no solution has been reached by midnight, we will take action.”
Hours after the deadline passed, it was unclear whether they’d made good on the pledge.
Jammeh has held power the Gambia since a military coup in 1994 until a surprise loss in the December 1 vote, where his opponent won 45% of the vote.
Credit: CNN