Gambia’s new President, Adama Barrow, says he will return to the country on Thursday to assume power – days after his predecessor left.
Barrow had to be inaugurated in neighbouring Senegal as regional powers threw their weight behind the new leader and threatened military intervention if Jammeh refused to stepped down after 22 years in power.
Barrow will be staying at his own home 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 of vice president, Fatoumata Jallow-Tambajang, may be too old, constitutionally, for the role.
Residents in the capital said Barrow’s arrival would mark the beginning of the healing process after divisions created by Jammeh’s regime.