BANJUL, Gambia: West African nations plan to scale back a military force that secured the return to Gambia of new President Adama Barrow to take power, the force commander said.
The mission of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) regional bloc will see “a progressive reduction” in numbers, Senegalese General Francois Ndiaye said in a statement a day after the newly elected leader flew back to his homeland.
Barrow defeated longstanding hard-line ruler Yahya Jammeh at the polls in December.
He took refuge in neighboring Senegal on Jan. 15, fearing for his safety after Jammeh reversed his acceptance of the election result and sought for six weeks to cling to power.
The new leader was welcomed home by jubilant crowds on Thursday — five days after Jammeh left the country under strong pressure from the 15-nation regional bloc — while heavy security was laid on by Senegalese and Nigerian special forces.
The decision slowly to cut back on the military deployment was prompted by Barrow’s arrival and “a positive appraisal of the security situation in the country,” Ndiaye said.
“This reduction in the number of forces mostly concerns the land-based component,” the general added.
“However, the aerial and naval ones are also affected to lesser degrees.”
Asked how many men were part of the mission, known as MICEGA, Ndiaye declined to say.
The chairman of the ECOWAS Commission, Marcel Alain de Souza, earlier indicated that some 4,000 troops were already deployed out of a planned maximum of 7,000 drawn from five nations.
ECOWAS launched the deployment on Jan. 19, shortly after Barrow took the oath of office in Gambia’s Embassy in Dakar, then suspended military action to give a chance to final diplomatic efforts to have Jammeh give way.
No details of Barrow’s agenda were available by late Friday morning, but many Gambians have placed their hopes in the former real estate agent endorsed by several opposition parties ahead of the election.
“I went up to Westfield last night,” Mumin Jallow, a 38-year-old taxi driver said, referring to the biggest street party for Barrow’s arrival, near Banjul.
“It was a really good move to see people coming outside in such a huge amount,” he said.
“People playing drums and being happy.”
In pushing Jammeh to give up Gambia’s presidency, negotiators played on two key cards: His deep Muslim faith and his professed love of country.
Tibou Kamara, a former government minister from Guinea, went early in the crisis to convince Jammeh to leave after 22 years in power in favor of Barrow, who won the ballot.
He was joined last week by Mauritania’s President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz and Guinea’s President Alpha Conde, to win over Jammeh before a “last chance saloon” deadline.
“It was not easy, because against the determination of the international community, there was a fierce resolve to defend what he saw as law, truth and justice, but especially the independence and sovereignty of his country,” Kamara said.
Kamara had approval to negotiate from Jammeh’s wife, whose younger sister is married to a former president of Guinea. Both women have Guinean fathers.
“We appealed to his faith,” Kamara said, adding that Jammeh himself often said that “everything that happens to a man is God’s will. This carried a lot of weight.”
Jammeh had long cultivated the image of a devout Muslim.
During a day of talks led by the Mauritanian and Guinean leaders, negotiators also reminded Jammeh of his potential place in history.
“Everybody told him that it wasn’t necessary to drag his country into war,” Kamara said, especially as Jammeh prides himself on having come to power without spilling any blood.
The former Gambia president had also made a point of keeping his country out of the many conflicts that have ravaged West Africa.
Negotiators urged Jammeh to “secure” this legacy by agreeing to “leave with dignity,” Kamara said.
The arguments worked: Jammeh cited them specifically during his televised speech in the early hours of Jan. 21, when he agreed to stand down.
“As a Muslim and a patriot, I do not want a single drop of blood to be shed,” he said.
“My decision was not dictated by anything else than the supreme interest of you, the Gambian people, and our dear country.”
For Kamara, the tense but ultimately successful talks were a victory for Gambians and the region as a whole, under the umbrella of the Economic Community of West African States regional bloc.
But he also warned against “score-settling” or “witch hunts” against Jammeh’s associates, and diplomats have called on Barrow’s government to guarantee Jammeh’s civil rights, including his eventual return after leaving the country for Equatorial Guinea.
Kamara’s efforts have paid off: On Wednesday, Guinea’s president named him his “personal adviser” with rank of government minister.
The mission of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) regional bloc will see “a progressive reduction” in numbers, Senegalese General Francois Ndiaye said in a statement a day after the newly elected leader flew back to his homeland.
Barrow defeated longstanding hard-line ruler Yahya Jammeh at the polls in December.
He took refuge in neighboring Senegal on Jan. 15, fearing for his safety after Jammeh reversed his acceptance of the election result and sought for six weeks to cling to power.
The new leader was welcomed home by jubilant crowds on Thursday — five days after Jammeh left the country under strong pressure from the 15-nation regional bloc — while heavy security was laid on by Senegalese and Nigerian special forces.
The decision slowly to cut back on the military deployment was prompted by Barrow’s arrival and “a positive appraisal of the security situation in the country,” Ndiaye said.
“This reduction in the number of forces mostly concerns the land-based component,” the general added.
“However, the aerial and naval ones are also affected to lesser degrees.”
Asked how many men were part of the mission, known as MICEGA, Ndiaye declined to say.
The chairman of the ECOWAS Commission, Marcel Alain de Souza, earlier indicated that some 4,000 troops were already deployed out of a planned maximum of 7,000 drawn from five nations.
ECOWAS launched the deployment on Jan. 19, shortly after Barrow took the oath of office in Gambia’s Embassy in Dakar, then suspended military action to give a chance to final diplomatic efforts to have Jammeh give way.
No details of Barrow’s agenda were available by late Friday morning, but many Gambians have placed their hopes in the former real estate agent endorsed by several opposition parties ahead of the election.
“I went up to Westfield last night,” Mumin Jallow, a 38-year-old taxi driver said, referring to the biggest street party for Barrow’s arrival, near Banjul.
“It was a really good move to see people coming outside in such a huge amount,” he said.
“People playing drums and being happy.”
In pushing Jammeh to give up Gambia’s presidency, negotiators played on two key cards: His deep Muslim faith and his professed love of country.
Tibou Kamara, a former government minister from Guinea, went early in the crisis to convince Jammeh to leave after 22 years in power in favor of Barrow, who won the ballot.
He was joined last week by Mauritania’s President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz and Guinea’s President Alpha Conde, to win over Jammeh before a “last chance saloon” deadline.
“It was not easy, because against the determination of the international community, there was a fierce resolve to defend what he saw as law, truth and justice, but especially the independence and sovereignty of his country,” Kamara said.
Kamara had approval to negotiate from Jammeh’s wife, whose younger sister is married to a former president of Guinea. Both women have Guinean fathers.
“We appealed to his faith,” Kamara said, adding that Jammeh himself often said that “everything that happens to a man is God’s will. This carried a lot of weight.”
Jammeh had long cultivated the image of a devout Muslim.
During a day of talks led by the Mauritanian and Guinean leaders, negotiators also reminded Jammeh of his potential place in history.
“Everybody told him that it wasn’t necessary to drag his country into war,” Kamara said, especially as Jammeh prides himself on having come to power without spilling any blood.
The former Gambia president had also made a point of keeping his country out of the many conflicts that have ravaged West Africa.
Negotiators urged Jammeh to “secure” this legacy by agreeing to “leave with dignity,” Kamara said.
The arguments worked: Jammeh cited them specifically during his televised speech in the early hours of Jan. 21, when he agreed to stand down.
“As a Muslim and a patriot, I do not want a single drop of blood to be shed,” he said.
“My decision was not dictated by anything else than the supreme interest of you, the Gambian people, and our dear country.”
For Kamara, the tense but ultimately successful talks were a victory for Gambians and the region as a whole, under the umbrella of the Economic Community of West African States regional bloc.
But he also warned against “score-settling” or “witch hunts” against Jammeh’s associates, and diplomats have called on Barrow’s government to guarantee Jammeh’s civil rights, including his eventual return after leaving the country for Equatorial Guinea.
Kamara’s efforts have paid off: On Wednesday, Guinea’s president named him his “personal adviser” with rank of government minister.
