ECOWAS vows Gambia intervention at midnight

Gambia's President Yahya Jammeh is facing the likelihood of a Wednesday midnight military intervention by ECOWAS regional forces, as they are set to forcefully remove him from office should he refused to step down following the expiration of his tenure on Thursday January 19.

According to report, a military commander with ECOWAS, Seydou Maiga Moro on Wednesday announced that Jammeh had only hours to step down or face troops already positioning along Gambia's borders.

"We are waiting so that all political means have been exhausted. The mandate of the president is finished at midnight," declared Moro, speaking on Senegalese radio station RFM.

"All the troops are already in place," adding that they were only waiting to see whether Jammeh would reluctantly bow to international pressure to cede power to President-elect Adama Barrow.

Since the beginning of the crisis, thousands of Gambians and foreigners have fled the country, including some former cabinet ministers who resigned from his government recently.

In another report, Nigeria confirmed a warship was heading toward Gambia for "training," with Ghana also haven pledged to contribute militarily.

ECOWAS said it was seeking the UN Security Council's endorsement of its "all necessary measures" to remove Jammeh.

Associated Press