Senegalese Army Enters Gambia to Topple Ex-President

Yahya Jammeh refuses to step down in wake of losing election
By Michael Harthorne,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 19, 2017 5:40 PM CST
Senegalese Army Enters Gambia to Topple Ex-President
Gambians cheer in Serrekunda, Gambia, Thursday, Jan. 19, 2017, after watching Adama Barrow be sworn in as Gambian President on a television broadcast from the Gambian Embassy in Dakar, Senegal.   (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)

Last month, Adama Barrow won Gambia's presidential election, ending the 22-year rule of dictator Yahya Jammeh. Barrow's inauguration was scheduled for Thursday, but Jammeh has refused to step down. And the opportunity for a peaceful resolution appears to be over. Here's what you need to know:

  • The Senegalese army entered Gambia Thursday with the intent of ousting Jammeh, the Washington Post reports. Gambian citizens, including apparently the country's army chief, were in the streets welcoming the troops from Senegal.
  • The Guardian reports thousands of tourists are being bused from resorts all over the country and evacuated from the airport in the capital of Banjul as armed conflict becomes more likely.
  • Barrow was sworn in as president Thursday at the Gambian embassy in Senegal in front of ambassadors from UN and other African countries, the BBC reports.
  • Time has a history of the situation in Gambia, including a look at the election and what went wrong afterward.
  • Back at the Guardian, a Gambian filmmaker and journalist discusses how Jammeh created a "political crisis that threatens the peace and stability" of Gambia and what it means for the country and its citizens.
  • On Thursday, the UN Security Council unanimously approved a resolution giving "full support" to Barrow while condemning "in the strongest terms possible" the actions of Jammeh, the AP reports.
  • Due to Jammeh's refusal to step down, Barrow was unable to return to Gambia for the funeral of his young son, who was killed by a dog last Sunday.
(More Gambia stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X