Follow us on:   

South Africa recognizes Barrow as Gambian president
January 20, 2017, 4:25 pm

The African Union condemned Jammeh for refusing to step down; it supported a military intervention if need be [Xinhua]


South Africa has officially recognized Adama Barrow as the new president of Gambia following his swearing in at the Gambian embassy in Dakar, Senegal.

The UN Security Council unanimously passed a resolution supporting Barrow as the legitimate Gambian president and condemned Jammeh for refusing to step down.

Barrow defeated President Yahya Jammeh, who has been in office for 22 years, in an election last month. But Jammeh has since refused to step down.

West African troops including a contingent from the Senegalese military crossed into Gambia on Thursday and gave Jammeh an ultimatum to cede power by Friday or face deliberate military action.

At press time, Jammeh was reported to be negotiating with West African leaders to be allowed to remain in Gambia after he leaves office.

In an official statement, the “South African Government expressed its hope that President Adama Barrow returns to his country to assume the role democratically bestowed on him by the people of The Gambia”.

The BRICS Post with inputs from Agencies