*Four ministers resign
*Nigeria’s warship sails towards Banjul
Gambian President Yahya Jammeh declared a state of emergency yesterday, a clear sign that he would not hand power to opposition leader Adama Barrow who won an election on Dec. 1.
“I…hereby declare a state of public emergency throughout the Islamic Republic of Gambia,” the declaration said. The terms of the state of emergency and its implications for Barrow’s inauguration on Thursday were not immediately known, according to Reuters.
But BBC reported that it is a 90-day state of emergency, coming a day before the end of his official mandate. In his televised announcement on state television, Jammeh said “any acts of disobedience to the laws of the The Gambia, incitement of violence and acts intended to disturb public order and peace” are banned under the state of emergency.
He said security forces were instructed to “maintain absolute peace, law and order” and denounced foreign interference in The Gambia’s election. The declaration appears to represent a hardening of Jammeh’s position. Opposition leaders say an emergency could allow the government to cancel or postpone Barrow’s inauguration.
Meanwhile, the ministers of finance, foreign affairs, trade and the environment have resigned from the government. Their departures follow the resignation of communications minister Sheriff Bojang last week. The mayor of the capital Banjul has also resigned, according to sources at the city council. State television said that Finance Minister Abdou Kolley was being replaced by Benjamin Roberts, the Minister of Tourism.
Hundreds have crossed into Senegal, fearing for their safety because of the turmoil, and Senegalese authorities have increased security. “We are scared. There are soldiers with guns all the time,” said Awa Sanneh, 25, from Birkama in Gambia, who was leaving with two children and 24 other family members.
The Senegalese town of Diouloulou, 12 km (7 miles) south of the border point of Seleti, has seen 650 Gambians cross since Christmas and the flow has increased in recent days, the mayor’s office said. While apprehension grips the country as the Thursday deadline for Jammeh to step down looms, it’s all calm at State House, which he has occupied for the last 22 years, according to BBC.
Soldiers and police officers are neatly dressed in their well-ironed uniforms; their berets are well positioned. BBC correspondent Umaru Fofana said they even joked, slapping his hand fondly as they greeted him. There was no sign of any tension or panic, he said. The report said the gates are well manned, with armed soldiers on duty. Even security personnel must go through metal detectors to enter the building. So it seems that despite the calmness nothing is being taken for granted.
Meanwhile, Nigeria’s newest warship, the NNS Unity, is sailing towards the country ahead of possible military intervention over Jammeh’s refusal to accept election defeat and step down when his term expires on Thursday.
A Nigerian military source tells the BBC that the patrol vessel is currently sailing off the coast of Ghana after leaving from Lagos.
The initial aim is to put on a show of force rather than to launch an attack. Senegal is preparing ground troops ahead of Thursday’s deadline.
The Gambia’s tiny army is no match for the regional powers. In recent years, President Jammeh has been promoting his loyalists, including army chief Ousman Badjie, to ranks beyond their competence. This has further downgraded its military capabilities.The regional body, ECOWAS, has sad that military intervention will be a last resort to bring an end to the political deadlock in The Gambia.