contribute troops for an ECOWAS operation meant
to get President Yahya Jammeh of the Gambia to
step down
- A Nigerian war ship, the NNS Unity, is currently
sailing off the coast of Ghana, after leaving Lagos
for the operation
- President Yahya Jammeh has declared a national
state of emergency 24 hours to the end of his
tenure
ultimatum by ECOWAS leaders to step down on Thursday,
January 19, or be removed by force.
The federal government is to send Nigerian
soldiers to join the Economic Community of
West African States (ECOWAS) troops in
Senegal, ahead of the Thursday, January 19
deadline given to President Yahya Jammeh of
the Gambia to step down.
The source said the troops would be briefed by
the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique
Abubakar, in the early hours of Wednesday,
January 18, before leaving for Senegal.
He said: " I can confirm to you that men of the Air
Force will leave for Senegal tomorrow (Wednesday).
They will be briefed by the Chief of Air Staff, Air
Marshal Sadique Abubakar, at the Kainji base in Niger
State.
“That Nigeria is deploying troops is now a certainty
after several meetings with The Gambian president
yielded no result. The Chiefs of Defence Staff of ECOWAS
countries came to Abuja on Saturday, where they
discussed what components each member state is
expected to contribute to the troops that will force
Yahya Jammeh out.
“The troops are expected to stay for two weeks and they
will be received at a base in Senegal.”
Though the number of deployment could not
yet be ascertained as of the time of filing this
report, military sources have disclosed that the
Nigerian warship, NNS UNITY, is also heading
for the coast of the Gambia to join the
operation.
Another military source said the NNS Unity is
currently sailing off the coast of Ghana, after
leaving from Lagos.
The source said: “It is not only Nigeria. Senegal is
the host country for the troops, as it would be easy to
launch an attack from there.”
Speaking on the Gambia crisis, the director of
defence information, Brig. Gen. Rabe Abubaka
has said the Gambai crisis is a political issues
left for ECOWAS leaders to solve.
He said: “We should not drag the Nigerian military
into a political issue. What is happening is a political
discussion between the ECOWAS leaders, aimed at
solving a political impasse in one of its member states.:
“Whatever they agreed to do is what will happen.
Therefore, the military is not for any engagement
regarding Jammeh or any other person for that matter.”
The announcement of the state of emergency is
coming hours after Gambia's ministers for
finance, foreign affairs, trade and the
environment resigned from Jammeh's
government.
Jammeh in a national TV address on Tuesday,
January 17, said that the 90-day measure was
necessary because of "the unprecedented and
extraordinary amount of foreign interference"
in a December 1 presidential vote, which he lost
to opposition leader Adama Barrow.
The former coup leader also cited external
interference "the internal affairs of The Gambia and
the unwarranted hostile atmosphere threatening the
sovereignty, peace, security and stability of the country"
Adama Barrow of the opposition party won the
December 1, 2016, presidential election but
Jammeh, who initially conceded defeat, made a
U-turn a week later, saying he would challenge
the results.
Despite interventions by the African Union and
ECOWAS, Jammeh insisted he would not hand
over power to Barrow.
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