ECOWAS to scale back military in 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 […]

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 January 15, fearing for his safety after Jammeh reversed his acceptance of the election result and sought for six weeks to cling to power.
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.