Defeated President of The Gambia Yahya Jammeh agreed to step
down from office following negotiations with other African leaders to days
after new President Adama Barrow was sworn into office in Senegal. Troops from
Senegal had arrived in Gambia on Friday to ensure Jammeh accepted the results
of the election and he later delivered an address on national television announcing
his decision to step down and thanking the Gambian people.
Jan. 21 GAMBIA -- Defeated
Gambian President Yahya Jammeh announced
he has agreed to step down two days after new President Adama Barrow was sworn
in.
Following tense negotiations and the threat of
military intervention from other West African nations Jammeh held a televised
address to announce he would step down and uphold his duty to "preserve at
every instant" Gambian lives, CNN reported.
"I have decided today in good conscience
to relinquish the mantle of leadership of this great nation with infinite
gratitude to all Gambians," he said.
Troops from Senegal entered Gambia the day
before Jammeh made his announcement to enforce the results of December's
election in which Barrow defeated Jammeh by claiming 45 percent of the vote.
Barrow was sworn in as president in Senegal on
Thursday, as he and 45,000 other people fled Gambia in anticipation of the
potential standoff between Jammeh and West African military forces, according to the New York Times.
The United Nations warned of a humanitarian
crisis among those who fled Gambia and crammed into host's homes along the
border in Senegal.
In addition the U.N. encouraged "all
stakeholders, within and outside the Gambia, to exercise restraint, respect the
rule of law and ensure the peaceful transfer of power."
Jammeh was president of Gambia since leading a
coup in 1994 and his government was condemned for human rights violations.
It is unclear when Barrow will return to
Gambia to take office but he called his election a "victory for the
Gambian nation" and promised an end to the violence.
"Our national flag will now fly
high," he said as he was sworn in on Thursday. "Violence is finished
forever from the life of the Gambians. There is no loser in this election. We promise
to unify our people. Today most Gambians are united in order to give Gambia a
new start. Today, I am the President of all Gambians."
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