Adama Barrow sworn in as Gambia's new president as Senegal troops enters Gambia

 

Gambia's president-elect, Adama Barrow was on Thursday sworn in as the country's president at the nation's embassy in neighboring Senegal, while incumbent leader Yahya Jammeh refused to step down ignoring pleas by African leaders for a peaceful transition.

The event in Dakar, was attended by several foreign diplomats.

Barrow in his first speech as president, called for international support from West Africa's ECOWAS bloc, the African Union and the United Nations.

“This is victory of the Gambian nation. Our national flag will now fly high among the other democratic nations of the world."This is a day no Gambian will ever forget, said Barrow.

Meanwhile, the United Nations Security Council has backed the new president and efforts made by West African regional bloc, ECOWAS to ensure that Adama Barrow assumes power from Yahya Jammeh, but stressed that it should be followed by political means first.

According to reports, shortly after the UN Security Council vote, Senegalese troops entered The Gambia, confirmed an army spokesman. 

Also, Nigeria, which has pre-positioned it's war planes and helicopters in Dakar, said in a statement that it had also deployed military assets "to protect the people of the Gambia and maintain sub-regional peace and security" with Ghana also pledging to send in troops.