The Gambia: NAF deploys 200 men, air assets to enforce ECOWAS mandate, Senegalese troops amass at border

As the deadline given to Yahya Jammeh to hand over power to Adama Barrow, the elected president of Gambia, ends at midnight of January 18, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has deployed a contingent to Senegal.
This is part of Nigeria’s contribution to the Economic Community of West African States Military Intervention in Gambia (ECOMIG) as agreed by ECOWAS leaders.
President Jammeh had said that he would not quit office following his defeat in the December 1, 2016 presidential election which was won by Barrow.
Entreaties by an ECOWAS  Mediation Committee, chaired by President Muhammad Buhari, were rebuffed by Jammeh.
On Tuesday, he declared a 90-day state of emergency and deployed military on the streets of Banjul, the country’s capital.
NAF’s Director of Public Relations and Information, Group Capt. Ayodele Famuyiwa, said on Wednesday in a statement that a standby force was tasked by ECOWAS Heads of State to enforce the December 1, 2016 election mandate in the Gambia.
Famuyiwa said NAF has moved a contingent of 200 men and air assets comprising fighter jets, transport aircraft, Light Utility Helicopter as well as Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance aircraft to Dakar from where it was expected to operate in The Gambia.
“The deployment is also to forestall hostilities or breakdown of law and order that may result from the current political impasse in Gambia,” he said.
The Chief of Air Staff (CAS) , Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, while addressing the troops before departure, urged them to maintain discipline and be professional in their conduct.
Sadique also reminded them to be good ambassadors of Nigeria, as no act of indiscipline by the contingent would be tolerated.
The contingent is being led by Air Commodore Tajudeen Yusuf.
He also said that other troop contributing countries include: Senegal, Ghana and others within the sub-region.
Meanwhile, Senegalese troops have amassed at the border with Gambia as the clock ticked down on Jammeh’s time in office and with the inauguration of Barrow on Thursday.
The soldiers arrived at the Senegalese border town of Karang, while the Nigerian Air Force deployed fighter jets and troops to Senegal ahead of a likely military intervention in Gambia, where the post-election political crisis was escalating.
ECOWAS pledged to send troops to ensure a peaceful transition of power after the bloc failed in repeated attempts to convince Jammeh to cede power.
After ruling Gambia for 22 years, Jammeh has refused to accept the result which saw him lose power to Barrow.
Jammeh’s mandate officially ends Wednesday.
Barrow fled Gambia on Saturday to Dakar amid fears of violence, but has insisted he would be inaugurated as scheduled on Thursday.
Thousands of people have been trying to leave the small West African nation after Jammeh on Tuesday declared a state of emergency in an attempt to cling to power.
The president who refuses to leave office recently placed his army on highest alert and Chief of Defence Staff, Ousman Badjie, repeatedly pledged his loyalty to the autocrat.
Experts, however, don’t believe Jammeh will be able to hold up a military battle for long.
The country of 1.9 million people has about 1,000 soldiers, little capacity to fight a well-trained army, for example that of Senegal, which counts almost 20,000 troops.