Former Gambian President Yahya Jammeh has been given until 12noon on Friday to vacate office and give room for newly inaugurated President Adama Barrow to take charge of the affairs of the West African nation.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) whose military intervention group tagged ECOMIG moved into Gambia on Thursday, announced the lifeline late on Thursday.
BBC reports that ECOWAS leaders ordered the military troops to halt their advance to the Gambian capital, Banjul pending the outcome of last minute mediation talks.
Guinea’s President Alpha Conde has been assigned to discuss with Jammeh on Friday morning. A similar effort by Mauritania’s President Mohammed Ould Abdel Aziz on Wednesday proved unsuccessful following which the ECOMIG troops were ordered to move into Gambia from their base in Senegal.
Chairman of the ECOWAS commission, Marcel Alain de Souza, told newsmen that if the meeting with Mr Conde proved unsuccessful, militarily action would follow.
“If by midday, he [Mr Jammeh] doesn’t agree to leave The Gambia under the banner of President Conde, we really will intervene militarily,” he said.
