[ 2017-01-19 ]

File photo: The troops have been sent to Gambia to assist in getting Jammeh to relinquish power

Ghana deploys 205 soldiers for ECOWAS mission in Gambia
President of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo,
who doubles as the Commander In Chief of the Ghana
Armed Forces, has approved and authorized the
deployment of a combat team of Two Hundred and
Five (205) troops, backed with the appropriate
logistical equipment, to the Islamic Republic of
The Gambia, as part of an ECOWAS mission in that
country.

In a statement signed by acting Communications
Director at the presidency, it said “ECOWAS has
decided as a result of the refusal of President
Yahya Jammeh to accept the verdict of the Gambian
people in the elections of December 1, 2016, to
deploy troops from its member states to The Gambia
with immediate effect.”

“The objective of is to create an enabling
environment doe the effective enforcement of the
rule of law, and, in accordance with the
Constitution of The Gambia, facilitate the
inauguration of the President-Elect, Adama Barrow,
on Thursday, January 19, 2017? the statement
concluded.

Senegal troops move to Gambia border as Jammeh
crisis grows

Already, Senegalese troops have been seen moving
towards the Gambian border in a show of force to
pressure President Yahya Jammeh to stand down.

Senegal gave him a midnight GMT deadline to quit,
and Nigeria has sent an air force unit to Senegal
in support of the possible intervention.

Wednesday was meant to be his last day in office,
but parliament has granted him three more months
in the post. It effectively stops successor Adama
Barrow from being sworn in on Thursday.

His shock victory in the December 1 election
plunged The Gambia into crisis. West African
countries are seeking UN backing to intervene
militarily to eject Mr Jammeh, who has ruled The
Gambia since taking power in a bloodless coup in
1994.

Meanwhile, thousands of UK and Dutch tourists are
being evacuated from the tiny West African state,
which is popular with European holidaymakers
because of its beaches.

Why is Senegal taking the lead?

Ecowas, the Economic Community of West African
States, has mandated Senegal, which almost
surrounds The Gambia, to spearhead military
intervention, but only as a last resort and with
the backing of the UN Security Council.

The Gambia’s entire armed forces is made up of
only about 2,500 troops, making it difficult to
see how they can defeat a regional force if it
moves in, says BBC Africa Monitoring security
correspondent Tomi Oladipo.

Mr Jammeh has declared a 90-day state of
emergency, saying “any acts of disobedience to
the laws of The Gambia, incitement of violence and
acts intended to disturb public order and peace”
were banned. Security forces, he said, had been
instructed to “maintain absolute peace, law and
order”.

Could there be a refugee crisis?

At least 26,000 Gambians, mostly women and
children, had crossed into Senegal by Monday
evening amid fears that violence could erupt, the
UN refugee agency said, citing Senegalese
government figures.

“The flow has increased sharply since then,”
regional spokeswoman Helene Caux was quoted by
Reuters as saying. About 1,600 Dutch citizens are
also being flown home after similar advice from
their government.

Tourism has become the fastest-growing sector of
The Gambia’s economy, and the country, which has
a population of about two million, was marketed to
holidaymakers as “the smiling coast of West
Africa”.

But many of its citizens are poor and complain of
political repression. Some, including the
goalkeeper of the national women’s football
team, have drowned in the Mediterranean trying to
reach Europe in the hope of a better life.

Why is Mr Jammeh refusing to leave office?

The Gambia regularly held elections, which he won
until last year. Mr Jammeh has said there were
irregularities in the election process, including
the turning away of some of his supporters from
polling stations, and errors made by the electoral
commission.

The commission accepted that some of the results
it initially published contained errors, but said
Mr Barrow had still won.

Mr Jammeh has said he will stay in office until
new elections are held. Retaining power would also
ensure he was not prosecuted in The Gambia for
alleged abuses committed during his rule.

The US state department urged Mr Jammeh to
peacefully transfer power to Mr Barrow on
Thursday.

“Doing so would allow him to leave office with
his head held high and to protect The Gambian
people from potential chaos,” spokesman John
Kirby said.

Source - citifmonline.com/bbc.com

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