The Gambia's President Adama Barrow has easily won re-election. Mr Barrow defeated former dictator Yahya Jammeh, who now fled into exile.

Gambia elections: Adama Barrow gets re-elected for second term

Jubilant Gambians on Thursday welcomed home their new President Adama Barrow, who was elected almost two months ago but forced to flee to Senegal when his predecessor refused to step aside.

Dressed in flowing white robes and cap, Barrow stepped off the plane, with heavily-armed troops from Senegal and Nigeria standing by as he flew in from Dakar where he had taken shelter on January 15.

Barrow, who was accompanied by his two wives and some of his children, was welcomed by&nbsp;military officials and senior members of his coalition government.

His return marks The&nbsp;Gambia&#39;s first democratic transfer of power and capped days of waiting in the tiny former British colony until finally longtime leader Yahya Jammeh stepped down and left the country after having refused to recognise the result of the December 1 election.

&quot;I&#39;m a happy man today. It was part of the struggle and I think the bad part is finished now,&quot; Barrow told journalists in Banjul.

&quot;I will get my cabinet in place and then get the ball rolling,&quot; he added.

Barrow took the oath of office at his country&#39;s embassy in Dakar a week ago and a multinational African force then entered The&nbsp;Gambia&nbsp;to ensure his safe return home and Jammeh&#39;s departure.

Hundreds gathered at the airport awaiting Barrow&#39;s arrival, with drummers and dancers firing up the crowds as Nigerian and Senegalese soldiers looked on.

&quot;He will develop this country! He&#39;s good, not a killer,&quot; said Barrow supporter Adja Kombeh.

Gambians have said they were looking forward to their freedom after two decades of Jammeh&#39;s iron-fisted rule.

&#39;He will be different&#39;

&quot;I&#39;m 100 percent a Barrow supporter and I&#39;m more happy than I can say,&quot; said Kanamo Sansou, sitting with his friends at Serrekunda market close to the capital Banjul.&nbsp;

&quot;He will be different in all aspects... we have been living under dictatorship for 22 years,&quot; added pensioner Ibrahima Gaye.

&quot;You can go home at night and sleep without worrying you will be arrested before daybreak,&quot; he said.

Barrow had not been seen in public since his swearing-in and has yet to publicly address Gambians.

Diplomats had urged Barrow to return quickly to curb the impact of the political crisis on the tourism-reliant economy, already in a fragile state.

The UN envoy for West Africa, Mohamed Ibn Chambas, who briefed the Security Council on The&nbsp;Gambia, stressed that the United Nations was working to bolster stability.

He also hailed the &quot;historic moment&quot; of Barrow&#39;s presidency and the role of the international community.

&quot;When the international community speaks with one voice, in support of democracy, in support of a credible, transparent electoral process, we can always have a good result,&quot; he said.

Barrow will be staying at his own residence until further notice while State House, Jammeh&#39;s former seat of power, is assessed for potential risks.

His first job is to deal with an internal crisis after it emerged his choice for vice president, Fatoumata Jallow-Tambajang, may be constitutionally too old for the role.

Immunity for Jammeh?

Around 4,000 west African troops remain in The&nbsp;Gambia&nbsp;charged with ensuring safety, as it is believed rogue pro-Jammeh elements remain in the security forces that were once under his personal control.

&quot;President Adama Barrow has asked us to remain for two or three weeks to see if there are arms caches or mercenaries hiding out,&quot; said Marcel Alain de Souza, head of the 15-nation Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) commission.

Jammeh left the country on Saturday and went into exile in Equatorial Guinea under threat of a regional military intervention.

The authorities have accused the former strongman of plundering state coffers and making off with $11 million (10 million euros).

Jammeh&#39;s former interior minister Ousman Sonko was arrested in Switzerland on Thursday as he is under investigation for possible crimes against humanity during the ex-strongman&#39;s regime.

But Barrow has told Jammeh he will have all the rights legally ensured to an ex-president, which under Gambian law include immunity from prosecution, barring a vote by two-thirds of the national assembly.

However Chambas said there was nothing in the UN-backed agreement that paved the way for Jammeh&#39;s departure that gave him immunity.

(AFP)

His return marks The?Gambia's first democratic transfer of power after longtime leader Jammeh finally stepped down and left the country

Jubilant Gambians on Thursday welcomed home their new President Adama Barrow, who was elected almost two months ago but forced to flee to Senegal when his predecessor refused to step aside. Dressed in flowing white robes and cap, Barrow stepped off the plane, with heavily-armed troops from Senegal and Nigeria standing by as he flew in from Dakar where he had taken shelter on January 15. Barrow, who was accompanied by his two wives and some of his children, was welcomed by military officials and senior members of his coalition government. His return marks The Gambia's first democratic transfer of power and capped days of waiting in the tiny former British colony until finally longtime leader Yahya Jammeh stepped down and left the country after having refused to recognise the result of the December 1 election. "I'm a happy man today. It was part of the struggle and I think the bad part is finished now," Barrow told journalists in Banjul. "I will get my cabinet in place and then get the ball rolling," he added. Barrow took the oath of office at his country's embassy in Dakar a week ago and a multinational African force then entered The Gambia to ensure his safe return home and Jammeh's departure. Hundreds gathered at the airport awaiting Barrow's arrival, with drummers and dancers firing up the crowds as Nigerian and Senegalese soldiers looked on. "He will develop this country! He's good, not a killer," said Barrow supporter Adja Kombeh. Gambians have said they were looking forward to their freedom after two decades of Jammeh's iron-fisted rule. 'He will be different' "I'm 100 percent a Barrow supporter and I'm more happy than I can say," said Kanamo Sansou, sitting with his friends at Serrekunda market close to the capital Banjul. "He will be different in all aspects... we have been living under dictatorship for 22 years," added pensioner Ibrahima Gaye. "You can go home at night and sleep without worrying you will be arrested before daybreak," he said. Barrow had not been seen in public since his swearing-in and has yet to publicly address Gambians. Diplomats had urged Barrow to return quickly to curb the impact of the political crisis on the tourism-reliant economy, already in a fragile state. The UN envoy for West Africa, Mohamed Ibn Chambas, who briefed the Security Council on The Gambia, stressed that the United Nations was working to bolster stability. He also hailed the "historic moment" of Barrow's presidency and the role of the international community. "When the international community speaks with one voice, in support of democracy, in support of a credible, transparent electoral process, we can always have a good result," he said. 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. His first job is to deal with an internal crisis after it emerged his choice for vice president, Fatoumata Jallow-Tambajang, may be constitutionally too old for the role. Immunity for Jammeh? Around 4,000 west African 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. "President Adama Barrow has asked us to remain for two or three weeks to see if there are arms caches or mercenaries hiding out," said Marcel Alain de Souza, head of the 15-nation Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) commission. Jammeh left the country on Saturday and went into exile in Equatorial Guinea under threat of a regional military intervention. The authorities have accused the former strongman of plundering state coffers and making off with $11 million (10 million euros). Jammeh's former interior minister Ousman Sonko was arrested in Switzerland on Thursday as he is under investigation for possible crimes against humanity during the ex-strongman's regime. But Barrow has told Jammeh he will have all the rights legally ensured to an ex-president, which under Gambian law include immunity from prosecution, barring a vote by two-thirds of the national assembly. However Chambas said there was nothing in the UN-backed agreement that paved the way for Jammeh's departure that gave him immunity. (AFP)

New president Adama Barrow returns to Gambia amid fanfare

President Adama Barrow is set to return to The Gambia on Thursday after his predecessor Yahya Jammeh finally quit power under threat of a military intervention, west African political sources said.

A source close to the Senegalese presidency and a diplomatic source in The Gambia&#39;s capital Banjul on Wednesday confirmed the announcement made on a Facebook page linked to the new president that Barrow is due to arrive on Thursday at 4:00 pm (1600 GMT).

Barrow won December&#39;s election, but for weeks Jammeh refused to step down, setting off a crisis that saw the new president take his oath of office in neighbouring Senegal last week.&nbsp;

Jammeh went into exile in Equatorial Guinea at the weekend, under threat of a regional military intervention.

Barrow, who has been in Senegal since January 15, had put off his return to The Gambia until his safety could be guaranteed by thousands of soldiers from five African nations currently deployed in the tiny nation, but unease had been growing over his prolonged absence.

(AFP)

A source close to the Senegalese presidency confirmed that Barrow is due to arrive on Thursday at 4:00 pm (1600 GMT)

President Adama Barrow is set to return to The Gambia on Thursday after his predecessor Yahya Jammeh finally quit power under threat of a military intervention, west African political sources said. A source close to the Senegalese presidency and a diplomatic source in The Gambia's capital Banjul on Wednesday confirmed the announcement made on a Facebook page linked to the new president that Barrow is due to arrive on Thursday at 4:00 pm (1600 GMT). Barrow won December's election, but for weeks Jammeh refused to step down, setting off a crisis that saw the new president take his oath of office in neighbouring Senegal last week. Jammeh went into exile in Equatorial Guinea at the weekend, under threat of a regional military intervention. Barrow, who has been in Senegal since January 15, had put off his return to The Gambia until his safety could be guaranteed by thousands of soldiers from five African nations currently deployed in the tiny nation, but unease had been growing over his prolonged absence. (AFP)

New Gambian president to return home on Thursday

An aide to new Gambia President Adama Barrow has alleged that Yahya Jammeh, the former president who left the country Saturday after 22 years in power, plundered millions of dollars in his last days in power, AFP reported.

Barrow, who is in the Sengalese capital Dakar, is preparing to take office.

A West African military force has entered Gambia to secure his return.

Jammeh will now live in exile in Equatorial Guinea.&nbsp;

Mai Fatty, an aide of President Barrow&#39;s, alleged the new administration has found 11 million dollars were recently withdrawn from the country&#39;s coffers.&nbsp;

&quot;As we take over, the government of The Gambia is in financial distress. The coffers are largely empty,&quot; he told reporters in the Sengalese capital Dakar.

Former president Jammeh had refused to step down after Barrow won the election on December 1 last year.

&quot;The state of security in The Gambia is still fragile,&quot; Fatty said, adding that Barrow is eager to return.

(WION with inputs from AFP)

Says, "As we take over, the government of The Gambia is in financial distress"

An aide to new Gambia President Adama Barrow has alleged that Yahya Jammeh, the former president who left the country Saturday after 22 years in power, plundered millions of dollars in his last days in power, AFP reported. Barrow, who is in the Sengalese capital Dakar, is preparing to take office. A West African military force has entered Gambia to secure his return. Jammeh will now live in exile in Equatorial Guinea. Mai Fatty, an aide of President Barrow's, alleged the new administration has found 11 million dollars were recently withdrawn from the country's coffers. "As we take over, the government of The Gambia is in financial distress. The coffers are largely empty," he told reporters in the Sengalese capital Dakar. Former president Jammeh had refused to step down after Barrow won the election on December 1 last year. "The state of security in The Gambia is still fragile," Fatty said, adding that Barrow is eager to return. (WION with inputs from AFP)

Gambia: New president's aide alleges Jammeh plundered millions of dollars before leaving office

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Gambia elections: Adama Barrow gets re-elected for second term

New president Adama Barrow returns to Gambia amid fanfare

New Gambian president to return home on Thursday

Gambia: New president's aide alleges Jammeh plundered millions of dollars before leaving office