Members of the regional ECOWAS force keep guard at Presidential palace in Banjul, Gambia. Photo Credit: Reuters.
The President of The Gambia, Adama Barrow is appealing to the ECOWAS troop currently in his country to stay for a further six months.
Mr. Barrow is expected back to his home country on Thursday to begin work after going to Senegal to be sworn in.
His predecessor, Yahya Jammeh had refused to hand over power peacefully, forcing the West African regional bloc to initiate a mediation process to force him out.
Mr. Jammeh is currently in exile in Equatorial Guinea but the troops from ECOWAS sent to force him out should he refuse to agree to a deal, is yet to leave the Gambia.
Mohammed Ibn Chambas, the United Nations’ most senior official in West Africa, told journalists in Senegal, that President Barrow “asked for the mission to remain for six months”.
Mr. Chambas said it’s now “up to (regional bloc) ECOWAS to decide”.
Source: Africafeeds.com