(JollofNews) – Leaders of the West African regional grouping have officially authorized a so-called Ecowas Standby Force (ESF) to intervene militarily in The Gambia and enforce the outcome of a presidential election earlier this month if defeated President Yahya Jammeh refuses to give up power when his mandate expires on January 18.
A December 17 resolution leaked to the {African Press Agency} on Wednesday mandates the ESF to deploy a Senegal-led military force to oust Jammeh who is challenging the election result after initially conceding defeat to Barrow and promising a smooth handover of power.
According to the resolution signed by Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in her capacity as the current Ecowas chair, the ESF has been mandated to ensure the safety of President-elect Barrow, his inauguration in accordance with the country’s constitution and provide security to other political leaders and the Gambian population.
The mandate of the EFS whose composition has not yet been revealed enters into force after President Johnson-Sirleaf’s signature but will be subjected to a review depending on political events in The Gambia over the next few weeks as diplomacy is used to end the electoral deadlock.
The resolution made after the fiftieth Ecowas Extraordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government in Abuja, held on December 17 said the duration of ESF’s mandate will last from Barrow’s inauguration to realizing the necessary conditions for the effective exercise of his executive powers as the country’s new president.
The operations of the intervention force will be funded through the Ecowas community levy and financial support from the United Nations, the European Union and other donor partners.
The resolution followed an unsuccessful attempt by the leaders of Nigeria, Liberia, Ghana and Sierra Leone to talk Jammeh out of preventing a smooth handover of power to Barrow who had topped the polls with 43 percent ahead of the incumbent who polled 39 percent according to the revised figures of the results after the Independent Electoral Commission had corrected a collation error which did not alter the standings of the candidates.
A third contender Mamma Kandeh polled 17 percent of the votes and has congratulated Barrow as the winner and called on Jammeh to accept the results.
Outgoing President Jammeh whose party’s petition challenging the results will be heard in The Gambian Supreme Court on January 10 has vowed to prevent Barrow’s inauguration on January 19, a day after his own mandate as the country’s elected leader will expire.
The head of the Independent Electoral Commission Alieu Momar Njai has rebuffed Jammeh’s claims of “vote-rigging and widespread irregularities” as nonsense.
President Jammeh who came to power in a bloodless coup in 1994 and won four elections before losing the December 1 poll has warned that any move to oust him would be regarded by his government as a naked external aggression.
yahya jammeh enough is enough
as an outsider and a british citizen all i can do is pray for peace in jesuse name let no man or woman suffer let there be peace in this world and love each other
the africa have in their mind that presidency is born not elected.Why cannt they accept defiets
We all witness that general saul badjie was using convoy to travelled to and fro and police IGP Sonko never said a damn, now president elect is going to be deny for convoy. Folk look at how corrupt the regime is, i rest my case here and you decide.
I knelt down with kindly request president Jammey to step down and that with save blood shed in Gambia .
jammeh Gambia has decided your time is finish don’t be a rebel after mandated time end
Mr. Jammeh Please For Sanity And Respect For Life,hand Ovre Power To Mr Barrow.
Funy. I pray ECOWAS effects its resolution .
This will be a good lesson to other african dictators..
OUTGOING LEADER MUST BE PUT IN PRISON AFTER PRESIDENT ELECT ASEND TO POWER OR ELSE JUST HANG AS SADDAM HUSSEIN WAS DONE
Yaya you are a bastard if you like in January step down if you don’t like don’t step down you would doe like a dog fat fool
Jammeh is over for you wether you like it or not. You are worried about what will happen to you step down. Surely you will face the consqueces .you knew what you did to other human beings. It will follow you to your grave.
You want a comfortable life with the stolen money. You are unfaithful and untrustworthy. You are a disgrace and a liability to Gambia. You are the most ungrateful person I know.
You will face the consequences oneday.
I wish you bad luck in your life for you brutality and corruption.
I am not in Gambia but no what your gouverment has done to his people ,with all his stealing , lues , and corruption and people loseing there lives like poor women and children for no reason at all just so he himself can live high and mighty and forget the people like the poor and the hungry and sick , u were there to protect your own not distroy.
Serwanga, you don’t have to kneel for anybody. Is your country and you have the right to claim it legally.
Some African leaders don’t fear God ! ECOWAS should goahead and sign his death warrant before his mandate and hang that BIG fool Jammeh-idiot like him !!!!!!
Jammeh!!! What else do u want again.You have stayed enough, allow someone else to rule and don’t be a greedy man. If indeed u have shed innocent blood, they will surely hurt u.
the war ideology employ by many in solving problems like the one in the Gambia is very bad.
the destruction of human lives and properties gains over years of hard work can not be the solution to the adamant behavior of one person or group. sending soldiers to go die while killing Gambians for Jammeh refusal to leave power is totally unacceptable there should be 100 ways to due with this problem Gambia can not be another Libya , Iraq, Syria or …….
This is the only sensible, rational, response I have come across so far…….More proof that the average African is an irredeemable fool………
I do enjoy the way you have presented this concern and it does indeed provide us some fodder for thought. Nonetheless, coming from everything that I have observed, I simply just wish as other commentary pack on that individuals keep on point and don’t embark on a tirade regarding some other news of the day. All the same, thank you for this outstanding point and though I can not really agree with the idea in totality, I value your viewpoint.
When will Africa learn from its past mistakes why should African leaders sacrifice humanity for power this is a shame this is illiteracy to the the highest degree jammeh pls learn from Ghana and Nigeria the leaders there were human being like you how can Africa develop with such hypocritical minded people
Jammeh is calling for court let go to the court we solve this thing peacefully is simple