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

Gambia&#39;s Yahya Jammeh agreed&nbsp;to step down after 22 years in power and&nbsp;hand the reins to&nbsp;President Adama Barrow on Saturday.

Jammeh said in a statement broadcast on state television, &quot;I have decided today in good conscience to relinquish the mantle of leadership of this great nation with infinite gratitude to all Gambians.

&quot;My decision today was not dictated by anything else than the supreme interest of you the Gambian people and our dear country,&quot; Jammeh said in the declaration.

&quot;At a time when we are witnessing trouble and fears in other parts of Africa and the world the peace and security of the Gambia is our collective heritage which we must jealously guard and defend,&quot; he added.&nbsp;

Mauritania&#39;s President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz and Guinea&#39;s Alpha Conde held several hours of talks with Jammeh in which they agreed he should step aside but not how and where he would live out his exile.

Troops from five African nations were stationed on the tiny nation&#39;s borders in the event the last-ditch talks fell through, as it was confirmed Conde would stay into Saturday to iron out remaining disagreements.

Jammeh has refused to recognise his defeat in presidential elections last month, and would be offered asylum in the country of his choice, Conde advisor Kiridi Bangoura said earlier in the day.

&quot;Jammeh has accepted he will leave power. The discussions revolve around where he will live in exile and the conditions around that,&quot; a Mauritanian source close to the delegation in Banjul told AFP.

A highly-placed Guinean source said the country of exile had to be far enough away to stop Jammeh interfering in his country&#39;s affairs.

The three men met at Jammeh&#39;s seat of power, State House, and halted to observe Friday prayers together at a nearby mosque.

The Guinean source mentioned Equatorial Guinea as a possible option, while diplomats discussed the possibility of Morocco.

Jammeh has rejected President Adama Barrow&#39;s December 1 election win, despite huge pressure from regional powers and the UN, sparking a major crisis and sending Gambians and tourists -- vital for the tiny country&#39;s economy -- fleeing.

Isatou Touray, a top official in Barrow&#39;s coalition told AFP there was &quot;no deal yet&quot; but added: &quot;I think he has to go, because he is compelled.&quot;

&#39;An ultimatum&#39;

Barrow, who was sworn in at The Gambia&#39;s embassy in Dakar on Thursday, remained in Senegal awaiting the outcome of the talks, with hopes of taking over from Jammeh as soon as his safety could be guaranteed.

A Banjul-based diplomatic source told AFP the final deal would be &quot;a joint statement between Barrow and Jammeh,&quot; but cautioned the mercurial strongman could &quot;quite easily&quot; change his mind.

That source spoke of a three-day grace period for Jammeh with foreign troops on standby until he definitively quits the country.

Barrow hailed a &quot;victory of the Gambian nation&quot; and demanded loyalty from his armed forces at his inauguration on Thursday.

An imminent military operation, dubbed operation &quot;Restore Democracy&quot;, was suspended late Thursday to allow the final push to convince Jammeh to leave after 22 years at the helm of the former British colony.

Shifting loyalties

As white flags reportedly flew from Gambian army posts in the countryside, sources suggested there was a gradual acceptance of Barrow, even among units known for loyalty to Jammeh.

A diplomatic source said a faction had &quot;switched sides&quot; among the elite Republican Guards who assure Jammeh&#39;s personal protection, following meetings among themselves at their Bakau barracks close to Banjul.

Gambia&#39;s army chief Ousman Badjie said foreign troops would be welcomed &quot;with a cup of tea&quot; rather than gunfire if they intervene to ensure Jammeh stands down.

&quot;Why should we fight?&quot;, said Badjie, a former Jammeh loyalist.

&quot;This is a political misunderstanding. There is no military solution to a political problem, let me tell you. We are not fools. I love my soldiers. I love the Gambian people. Nobody is going to be hurt here.&quot;

Soldiers were told by Barrow in his inauguration speech they would be considered rebel elements if they remained armed on the streets.

Cabinet dissolved

Police chief Yankuba Sonko and customs boss Momat Cham also swore allegiance to Barrow, a government source who asked not to be identified told AFP.

After a string of ministerial resignations this week, Jammeh however appeared determined to stand his ground to the last, announcing he was dissolving the government and taking over.

&quot;The President of the Republic of The Gambia Sheikh Professor Dr Alhaji Yahya Jammeh Babili Mansa has dissolved his cabinet today,&quot; a statement said. &quot;The office of the President oversees all ministries.

The uncertainty continued to push Gambians to flee the country and the United Nations refugee agency said around 45,000 had left so far, more than 75 percent of them children, mostly accompanied by women.

&quot;They are staying with family members, host families or in hotels. Some families are hosting up to 40 to 50 people and will soon need support as they may quickly run out of resources,&quot; a United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) report said.

(AFP)

The outgoing President declared his intent on state broadcaster however, his terms of exile remained uncertain

Gambia's Yahya Jammeh agreed to step down after 22 years in power and hand the reins to President Adama Barrow on Saturday. Jammeh said in a statement broadcast on state television, "I have decided today in good conscience to relinquish the mantle of leadership of this great nation with infinite gratitude to all Gambians. "My decision today was not dictated by anything else than the supreme interest of you the Gambian people and our dear country," Jammeh said in the declaration. "At a time when we are witnessing trouble and fears in other parts of Africa and the world the peace and security of the Gambia is our collective heritage which we must jealously guard and defend," he added. Mauritania's President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz and Guinea's Alpha Conde held several hours of talks with Jammeh in which they agreed he should step aside but not how and where he would live out his exile. Troops from five African nations were stationed on the tiny nation's borders in the event the last-ditch talks fell through, as it was confirmed Conde would stay into Saturday to iron out remaining disagreements. Jammeh has refused to recognise his defeat in presidential elections last month, and would be offered asylum in the country of his choice, Conde advisor Kiridi Bangoura said earlier in the day. "Jammeh has accepted he will leave power. The discussions revolve around where he will live in exile and the conditions around that," a Mauritanian source close to the delegation in Banjul told AFP. A highly-placed Guinean source said the country of exile had to be far enough away to stop Jammeh interfering in his country's affairs. The three men met at Jammeh's seat of power, State House, and halted to observe Friday prayers together at a nearby mosque. The Guinean source mentioned Equatorial Guinea as a possible option, while diplomats discussed the possibility of Morocco. Jammeh has rejected President Adama Barrow's December 1 election win, despite huge pressure from regional powers and the UN, sparking a major crisis and sending Gambians and tourists -- vital for the tiny country's economy -- fleeing. Isatou Touray, a top official in Barrow's coalition told AFP there was "no deal yet" but added: "I think he has to go, because he is compelled." 'An ultimatum' Barrow, who was sworn in at The Gambia's embassy in Dakar on Thursday, remained in Senegal awaiting the outcome of the talks, with hopes of taking over from Jammeh as soon as his safety could be guaranteed. A Banjul-based diplomatic source told AFP the final deal would be "a joint statement between Barrow and Jammeh," but cautioned the mercurial strongman could "quite easily" change his mind. That source spoke of a three-day grace period for Jammeh with foreign troops on standby until he definitively quits the country. Barrow hailed a "victory of the Gambian nation" and demanded loyalty from his armed forces at his inauguration on Thursday. An imminent military operation, dubbed operation "Restore Democracy", was suspended late Thursday to allow the final push to convince Jammeh to leave after 22 years at the helm of the former British colony. Shifting loyalties As white flags reportedly flew from Gambian army posts in the countryside, sources suggested there was a gradual acceptance of Barrow, even among units known for loyalty to Jammeh. A diplomatic source said a faction had "switched sides" among the elite Republican Guards who assure Jammeh's personal protection, following meetings among themselves at their Bakau barracks close to Banjul. Gambia's army chief Ousman Badjie said foreign troops would be welcomed "with a cup of tea" rather than gunfire if they intervene to ensure Jammeh stands down. "Why should we fight?", said Badjie, a former Jammeh loyalist. "This is a political misunderstanding. There is no military solution to a political problem, let me tell you. We are not fools. I love my soldiers. I love the Gambian people. Nobody is going to be hurt here." Soldiers were told by Barrow in his inauguration speech they would be considered rebel elements if they remained armed on the streets. Cabinet dissolved Police chief Yankuba Sonko and customs boss Momat Cham also swore allegiance to Barrow, a government source who asked not to be identified told AFP. After a string of ministerial resignations this week, Jammeh however appeared determined to stand his ground to the last, announcing he was dissolving the government and taking over. "The President of the Republic of The Gambia Sheikh Professor Dr Alhaji Yahya Jammeh Babili Mansa has dissolved his cabinet today," a statement said. "The office of the President oversees all ministries. The uncertainty continued to push Gambians to flee the country and the United Nations refugee agency said around 45,000 had left so far, more than 75 percent of them children, mostly accompanied by women. "They are staying with family members, host families or in hotels. Some families are hosting up to 40 to 50 people and will soon need support as they may quickly run out of resources," a United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) report said. (AFP)

Gambia's Jammeh agrees to step down after 22 years

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