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Regional Security Forces Arrive in Gambian Capital Ahead of New President's Return

By VOA News January 22, 2017

Troops from a regionwide military force moved Sunday into Gambia's capital, Banjul, where they were greeted by cheering throngs, hours after defeated leader Yahya Jammeh fled into exile.

The regional force is expected to clear the way for the return of the country's newly elected President Adama Barrow, who earlier took refuge in nearby Senegal when Jammeh refused to leave office. Barrow was sworn in Thursday at a ceremony in the Senegalese capital, Dakar.

No time frame had been announced by late Sunday for Barrow's return, but a spokesman told reporters it would be "as soon as possible." Marcel Alain de Souza said parts of Gambia's security forces needed to be "Immobilized" ahead of Barrow's return.

A second spokesman told reporters in Banjul that the capital would be inspected Monday to determine whether security is adequate for Barrow's safe return.

U.S. reaction

The U.S. State Department welcomed "the on-going peaceful transition of power in Gambia," and congratulated Barrow on his inauguration. Acting spokesman Mark Toner also praised "the restraint shown by the Gambian people over the past weeks," as Jemmah struggled unsuccessfully to maintain his grip on power.

Separately on Sunday, a top adviser to Barrow, speaking in Senegal, alleged that Jammeh looted government bank accounts in the last days of his rule.

Mai Ahmad Fatty told reporters the coffers in his tiny nation are, in his words, "virtually empty." He said the finance ministry and Gambia's Central Bank had confirmed that more than $11 million went missing in the past two weeks alone.

Fatty also said he confirmed that a cargo plane from Chad had moved luxury goods, including an unknown number of vehicles, out of the country on Jammeh's behalf in the final hours of his rule.

Earlier in the week, Jammeh declared a national state of emergency in a last-ditch effort to hold on to power. He dissolved his Cabinet while the National Assembly extended his term of office by three months.

But by Friday, as pressure mounted, he was negotiating with the presidents of Guinea and Mauritania before agreeing to step down. Sources said the talks centered on where Jammeh would live and whether he would be granted amnesty for alleged crimes committed during his rule.

Barrow, a property developer, celebrated as it became clear on Friday that Jammeh's departure was imminent.

"The rule of fear has been banished from Gambia for good," Barrow said in Dakar as he prepared to return to his homeland.