Dakar: Gambia's President Yahya Jammeh declared a state of emergency on Tuesday, just two days before he is supposed to cede power after losing elections last month. Mr Jammeh is refusing to step down despite international pressure and the threat by other West African nations of a military intervention. The 90-day state of emergency, announced on state television, was to begin immediately.
In the announcement, Mr Jammeh also blamed what he calls the unprecedented level of foreign involvement in Gambia's election. The National Assembly, in approving the state of emergency, condemned the "unlawful and malicious interference" by the African Union's Peace and Security Council, which has said the continental body will no longer recognise Mr Jammeh as Gambia's legitimate leader as of Thursday.
Mr Jammeh says the country must wait for Gambia's supreme court to decide on the ruling party's challenge to the election results, a delay that could take months. On Monday, Gambia's chief justice recused himself and said he could not rule on Mr Jammeh's request for an injunction blocking Mr Barrow's inauguration.
Mr Jammeh has ruled Gambia for more than 22 years. He initially went on state television to concede his election defeat, only to make a dramatic about-face a week later.
Mr Barrow is currently in Senegal, and the regional bloc, ECOWAS, has urged Barrow to stay there until Thursday's inauguration for his safety. On Monday, he was unable to attend the funeral for his 7-year-old son, who had been fatally mauled by a dog a day earlier.
In the announcement, Mr Jammeh also blamed what he calls the unprecedented level of foreign involvement in Gambia's election. The National Assembly, in approving the state of emergency, condemned the "unlawful and malicious interference" by the African Union's Peace and Security Council, which has said the continental body will no longer recognise Mr Jammeh as Gambia's legitimate leader as of Thursday.
Mr Jammeh says the country must wait for Gambia's supreme court to decide on the ruling party's challenge to the election results, a delay that could take months. On Monday, Gambia's chief justice recused himself and said he could not rule on Mr Jammeh's request for an injunction blocking Mr Barrow's inauguration.
Advertisement
Mr Jammeh has ruled Gambia for more than 22 years. He initially went on state television to concede his election defeat, only to make a dramatic about-face a week later.
Advertisement
Mr Barrow is currently in Senegal, and the regional bloc, ECOWAS, has urged Barrow to stay there until Thursday's inauguration for his safety. On Monday, he was unable to attend the funeral for his 7-year-old son, who had been fatally mauled by a dog a day earlier.
Advertisement
COMMENTS
Advertisement
Andre Russell Surpasses Dwayne Bravo To Achieve Big Feat For West Indies 'Need To Be More Convincing': South Africa Skipper Aiden Markram After Qualifying For T20 World Cup Semis Cool South Africa Edge Out West Indies To Enter Semi-Final Of T20 World Cup Windows Computers Lead To 'Blue Screen Of Death' Due To CrowdStrike Error In 1st Statement After Outage, CrowdStrike CEO Says... Massive Worldwide Microsoft Outage: Flights, Markets, Stock Exchange Down "Unavoidable Circumstances": India Cancels 2 Trains To Bangladesh In Pics: Bangladesh On Fire, Buildings, Vehicles Burnt Amid Ongoing Clashes Microsoft Power Outage Caused "Minor Disruptions" In 10 Banks: RBI Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.