Joy in Gambia as Jammeh flies into exile

The Gambia’s ex-leader Yahya Jammeh has flown out of the country he ruled for 22 years and into exile, bringing an end to a protracted political crisis following presidential elections last month. The longtime ruler refused to step down after a December 1 vote in which opposition leader Adama Barrow was declared the winner, triggering […]

The Gambia’s ex-leader Yahya Jammeh has flown out of the country he ruled for 22 years and into exile, bringing an end to a protracted political crisis following presidential elections last month.
The longtime ruler refused to step down after a December 1 vote in which opposition leader Adama Barrow was declared the winner, triggering weeks of tension as West African leaders threatened to use military force to oust him if he failed to step down.
Jammeh boarded a small, unmarked plane at an airport in the capital, Banjul, late on Saturday, alongside Guinea’s President Alpha Conde after two days of negotiations over a departure deal.
He landed in Conakry, Guinea’s capital, but set off again for Equatorial Guinea, where he will remain in exile, the president of the Economic Community Of West African States (ECOWAS), Marcel Alain de Souza, told journalists
Scenes of jubilation broke out almost immediately on streets near Banjul, after the news filtered out that Jammeh had gone.
“We are free now. We are no longer in prison,” Fatou Cham, 28, told AFP news agency.