Lagos/Johannesburg — West African nations plan to send troops to Gambia to force President Yahya Jammeh from office if he does not step down following his loss in a presidential election in December, said a military official from the region. The winner of the vote, Adama Barrow, is staying in Senegal until his scheduled inauguration on Thursday. If Jammeh did not step down after that, the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) could take military action, said the official, who declined to be identified. Jammeh, who has ruled Gambia since a coup in 1994, surprised the nation by acknowledging he lost the December 1 vote to Barrow, only to change his mind a week later and file a petition to challenge the outcome. On Monday, Gambia’s chief justice, Emmanuel Fagbenle, refused to rule on a petition by Jammeh to hear his objections to his election defeat. Regional heads of state including Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari met with Jammeh last week but failed to persuade him t...
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