Gambia's new president sworn in in Dakar of Senegal
Gambia's new President Adama Barrow demanded "loyalty" from the armed forces yesterday as he took the oath of office in Senegal in a standoff with Yahya Jammeh, the longtime leader refusing to step down after his election defeat.
Dressed all in white, 51-year-old Barrow waved to crowds before being sworn in at The Gambia's embassy in Senegal's capital Dakar.
"This is a victory of the Gambian nation. Our flag will now fly high among those of the most democratic nations of the world," he said.
The inauguration took place as a regional military force massed on the Senegal-Gambia border ahead of a UN Security Council meeting to vote on west African efforts to ensure a transfer of power.
"I command the chief of defence staff and officers of high command to demonstrate their loyalty to me as commander in chief without any delay," Barrow said.
"I command all members of the armed forces to remain in their barracks, those found wanting or in possession of firearms without my order will be considered rebels."
Barrow, an opposition coalition candidate, won the December 1 election in a surprise victory over Jammeh, who had ruled the former British colony since taking power in a coup in 1994 and has rejected international pressure to leave office.
Nigerian jets overflew The Gambia, officials said in Abuja, as troops from Senegal, Ghana and Nigeria readied for a possible intervention against Jammeh, whose mandate expired at midnight (0000 GMT).
Shops were shuttered and streets quiet in and around the capital Banjul, and tour operators evacuated hundreds more tourists from the tiny country's popular beach resorts.
But Barrow supporters were jubilant.
"For the last 22 years we were living under a state of dictatorship," Corra Kah said in Banjul as he watched the inauguration. "Now we are free".
In off the cuff remarks, army chief Ousman Badjie insisted his soldiers would not get involved in a "political dispute" or prevent foreign forces from entering the west African nation.
- 'Don't have to risk lives' -
Barrow, a real-estate agent turned politician, flew to Senegal on January 15 after weeks of rising tension over Jammeh's stance.
Jammeh initially acknowledged Barrow as the victor but later rejected the result.
He then attempted to block Barrow's inauguration with a court ruling and by declaring a state of emergency this week.
A senior member of Barrow's opposition coalition, Isatou Touray, welcomed the army chief's declaration.
"That's a very positive outlook from him, given that Jammeh's regime is done," Touray told AFP.
"We don't have to risk the lives of innocent citizens."
In remarks at a hotel restaurant late Wednesday, Badjie said he loved his men and would not risk their lives in a "stupid fight," witnesses said.
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