Several West African countries prepared to intervene in Gambia should President Yahya Jammeh refuse to step down when his mandate expires early Thursday.
Mr. Jammeh, who has ruled this nation of two million people for more than 22 years, lost elections in December to real-estate mogul Adama Barrow. He initially accepted his defeat, saying, “Allah is telling me my time is up.” His concession was hailed as a victory for democracy on a continent where longtime rulers have changed constitutional term limits to retain power.
Days later, however, Mr. Jammeh said he no longer accepted the election results, which he said were flawed. On Tuesday, he declared a state of emergency, citing foreign interference in Gambian affairs.
On Wednesday, the country’s National Assembly extended Mr. Jammeh’s term, which was set to end at 12:01 a.m. on Thursday, by three months.
Nigeria, Senegal, Ghana, Togo and Mali have moved troops into Senegal, close to the Gambian border, to enforce the leadership transition if it proves necessary, said Col. Abdou Ndiaye, spokesman for the Senegalese army. “They will enter [Gambia] from midnight at any time,” Col. Ndiaye said, adding that the troops included ground, air and naval forces.
The Economic Community of West African States—the regional bloc that includes Gambia—has said it would drop its recognition of Mr. Jammeh as the country’s president when his term officially ends.
Ecowas in December authorized a standby military force that could intervene if Mr. Jammeh tries to remain in office. Some observers, however, said they expect the bloc to continue its mediation efforts after his term expires, rather than send troops immediately.
It wasn’t immediately clear if the assembly’s extension of Mr. Jammeh’s term was legal under Gambia’s constitution. The country’s highest court has said it can’t rule on his challenge to the election results until at least May because it doesn’t have enough judges.
Mr. Barrow’s coalition said the extension of Mr. Jammeh’s term was unconstitutional, but said it was no longer sticking to its plan to hold the president-elect’s swearing-in in Gambia’s largest city, Serrekunda, on Thursday.
“His inauguration, which should have taken place at the national stadium, will not be taking place as planned,” said coalition spokesman Halifa Sallah. Mr. Sallah didn’t say whether Mr. Barrow would be sworn in on Thursday at another location, for instance in Gambia’s embassy in Dakar, Senegal, where he is staying. “President-elect Barrow must be sworn in tomorrow.”
In recent days, security forces loyal to Mr. Jammeh have detained at least five officers and several other enlisted men they suspected of supporting Mr. Barrow, Amnesty International said.
As apprehension over the possibility of political unrest intensified on Wednesday, traffic in the streets of the capital Banjul was unusually light and many shops remained closed.
At the country’s beach resorts, many foreign tourists packed their bags as travel operators sent additional flights to ferry them out of the country. The U.K.-based tourism company Thomas Cook said it had about 3,500 customers in the former British colony, the smallest country by area in continental Africa.
Several members of Mr. Jammeh’s cabinet who resigned fled the country in recent days.
So far, additional security forces haven’t been deployed in the capital, diplomats said, but authorities have curtailed access to some communications, including WhatsApp and Skype, and foreign embassies have warned their citizens that the international airport in Banjul and the country’s land borders could be closed in coming days.
“There is still, unfortunately, a high degree of uncertainty and unpredictability,” said Attila Lajos, the European Union’s ambassador to Gambia.
Fearing a crackdown by government security forces or regional military intervention, thousands of Gambians have fled into neighboring Senegal in recent weeks.
“We have no choice but to leave for a safe place until the political upheaval in my country is resolved,” said Fatou Njile, a 36-year-old woman who was crossing into Senegal at the border town of Karang with her two children and her elderly mother.
About 26,000 people fled to Senegal between Jan. 1 and Jan. 16, said Helene Caux, regional spokeswoman for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, citing Senegalese government figures. Authorities in Senegal were preparing to receive as many as 100,000 Gambian refugees, she said.
Since coming to power in 1994, Mr. Jammeh has ruled with an iron hand. Political dissidents and critical journalists often have been jailed and the activities of opposition parties circumscribed. He has said he wants to resolve the postelection standoff through legal means and redo the election.
The U.S. on Tuesday urged Mr. Jammeh to hand over power to the president-elect on schedule.
“Doing so would allow him to leave office with his head held high and to protect the Gambian people from potential chaos,” State Department spokesman John Kirby said.
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