Dakar — Long-ruling Gambian leader Yahya Jammeh, who lost elections in December, has until midday on Friday to hand over power and agree to leave the country or face military action, the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) has said. West African troops entered The Gambia on Thursday to bolster its new President Adama Barrow but the military operation was suspended a few hours later, in favour of a final diplomatic effort to convince Jammeh — who has refused to quit — to exit the country. "We have suspended operations and given him an ultimatum," said Marcel Alain de Souza, head of the 15-nation regional bloc. "If by midday, he doesn’t agree to leave The Gambia ... we really will intervene militarily," he added. Final talks would be led by Guinean President Alpha Conde in the Gambian capital Banjul on Friday morning, De Souza said. Conde will first travel to Mauritania where he will meet the country’s president, Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, who led the previous round of ne...
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