Yahya Jammeh finally agrees to go
Amidst a charged political atmosphere, Gambia’s Yahya Jammeh has agreed “in principle” to hand over power to President Adama Barrow.
Quoting Mauritanian and Guinean sources, AFP reported that a full deal is yet to be reached because of differences as to where Jammeh would live while on exile.
Mauritania’s President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz and Guinea’s Alpha Conde held several hours of talks with Jammeh in which they agreed he should step aside but not how and where he would live out his exile.
Troops from five African nations were stationed on the tiny nation’s borders in the event the last-ditch talks fell through, as it was confirmed Conde would stay into Saturday to iron out remaining disagreements.
Jammeh has refused to recognise his defeat in presidential elections last month, and would be offered asylum in the country of his choice, Conde advisor Kiridi Bangoura said on Friday.
“Jammeh has accepted he will leave power. The discussions revolve around where he will live in exile and the conditions around that,” a Mauritanian source close to the delegation in Banjul told AFP.
A highly-placed Guinean source said the country of exile had to be far enough away to stop Jammeh from interfering in his country’s affairs. (AFP)
