ECOWAS yesterday has intensified moves to get the President of The Gambia, Yayah Jammeh, to respect the will of his people expressed at the December 1, 2016 election won by Adama Barrow.
Already, the Nigeria Air Force yesterday deployed a contingent and fighter jets on standby in Dakar, the capital of Senegal. The refusal of Jammeh to quit is making Nigeria to lead ECOWAS countries in a possible military removal of Jammeh from office.
ECOWAS officials had previously met with the The Gambian president, appealing to him to implement the result of the elections, which he lost and conceded defeat, before later calling for its cancellation and insisting that another election must be held. But the regional leaders insist that the adjudged winner of the election, Barrow must take over office tomorrow.
The Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar who addressed the Nigerian contingent led by Air Commodore Tajudeen Yusuf before they were airlifted in Kanji at the 117 Air Combat Training Camp, urged them to be good ambassadors of the country and remain disciplined and professional in carrying out their mandate.
The NAF Director, Public Relations and Information (DoPRI), Group Captain Ayodele Famuyiwa made this known yesterday in a statement issued in Abuja.“The NAF today moved a contingent of 200 men and air assets comprising fighter jets, transport aircraft, light utility helicopter as well as intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft to Dakar from where it is expected to operate into The Gambia,” the statement read.
According to NAF, the deployment is part of Nigerian contingent of ECOWAS military intervention in The Gambia (ECOMIG) – a standby force tasked by ECOWAS heads of state to enforce the December 1, 2016 election mandate.
“The deployment is also to forestall hostilities or breakdown of law and order that may result from the current political impasse in The Gambia,” the statement said.
There will be troops contribution from Senegal, Ghana, Niger, Chad and other countries within the sub-region.
