Gambia's new President Adama Barrow will return to Banjul on Thursday. He had been forced to flee to neighbouring Senegal after the post elections political crisis where the incumbent Yahya Jammeh refused to step down after initially accepting defeat. Barrow's aide Mai Fatty confirmed the President would be arriving in Gambia on Thursday afternoon.   He was sworn in from Senegal's Gambia Embassy Compound.
The announcement will end the power void, and anxious tension in the Country that was brought about by long-time president Yahya Jammeh’s refusal to step down after losing elections.

Diplomats have urged Barrow to return quickly to reduce the impact of the political crisis on the country’s fragile tourist dependent economy. Barrow will be staying at his own residence until further notice while State House, Jammeh's former seat of power, is assessed for potential risks.
Barrow's first job will be to deal with an internal crisis after it emerged his pick for vice president, Fatoumata Jallow-Tambajang, may be constitutionally too old for the role.

Around 4,000 ECOMAS  troops remain in The Gambia charged with ensuring safety, as it is believed rogue pro-Jammeh elements remain in the security forces that were once under his personal control. He must also deal with latent ethnic tensions between Jammeh's minority Jola people and the majority Mandinkas, to whom Barrow belongs.

Africa Team