Gambia’s Jammeh faces last chance to quietly cede power

Banjul. Gambia’s Yahya Jammeh faced a “last chance” to hand over power peacefully Friday as troops from five African nations stood by to intervene and key regional leaders flew in to make a final push for a deal.

Mauritania’s President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz and Guinea’s Alpha Conde told reporters hope remained for a political resolution to the country’s handover crisis as they left for Banjul from Nouakchott, the Mauritanian capital.

Jammeh, who refuses to recognise his defeat in presidential elections last month, would be offered asylum in the country of his choice, Conde advisor Kiridi Bangoura said in the Guinean capital Conakry.

“We still have every chance for a peaceful solution,” Aziz said. “We have every interest in achieving that, we have enough conflicts in Africa going on without adding another.”

“We’re on our way to bring joy” to Gambia, said Conde before boarding.

The pair arrived after a previously announced noon (1200 GMT) deadline for military intervention by foreign troops, which was extended de facto with no new time set.

Jammeh has rejected President Adama Barrow’s December 1 election win, despite significant pressure from regional powers and the UN, sparking a major crisis and sending tourists -- vital for the tiny country’s economy -- fleeing.

Mauritania’s Aziz met Jammeh earlier this week as well as opposition leaders and Barrow but Conde advisor Bangoura said the longtime Gambian leader had yet to choose a place of exile.

Political sources cited Morocco and Guinea as possibilities, along with Mauritania and Qatar.

Barrow, who was sworn in at The Gambia’s embassy in Dakar on Thursday, remained in Senegal awaiting the outcome of the talks, with hopes of taking over from Jammeh as soon as his safety could be guaranteed.

He hailed a “victory of the Gambian nation” and demanded loyalty from his armed forces at his inauguration.

An imminent military operation, dubbed operation “Restore Democracy”, was suspended late Thursday to allow the final push to convince Jammeh to leave after 22 years at the helm of the former British colony. “We have suspended operations and given him an ultimatum,” said Marcel Alain de Souza, head of the 15-nation Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas).