Senegalese troops amass on Gambian border


Senegalese troops amassed on the Gambian border Wednesday as the deadline for the country's veteran leader Yahya Jammeh to step down approaches.

Jammeh, who lost a December 1 election to opponent Adama Barrow, has refused to cede power after 22 years at the helm.

Barrow has vowed to go ahead with his inauguration anyway on Thursday, and ECOWAS, the West African regional bloc, has vowed to use military force if necessary to remove Jammeh.

An ECOWAS military commander said its forces would "take action" at midnight unless a solution is found to Gambia's political crisis before then.

Speaking on Senegalese radio station RFM, Seydou Maiga Mboro declared that "all the troops are already in place" awaiting the deadline for Jammeh to step down at midnight.

Residents in two Senegalese border towns reported heavy troop movements close to the frontier and a Senegalese military source confirmed the build-up.

Colonel Abdou Ndiaye, a spokesman for the Senegalese army, confirmed the troops would cross the border if he did not step aside at the midnight deadline, in remarks carried by Reuters.

Meanwhile, Nigeria said it had deployed its air force to Senegal to help enforce the transfer of power in neighbouring Gambia.
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