After 22 years in power, the curtains were drawn on the era of Gambian dictator, Yayha Jammeh on Saturday.
Mr. Jammeh, who initially conceded defeat to the opposition candidate, Mr. Adama Barrow, after he was defeated in a general election on December 1, 2016, turned round to withdraw his concession and proceeded to challenge his rejection at the ballot in court in an attempt to hang on to power.
With a constitutional crisis looming, following the failure of efforts to persuade him to respect the wishes of Gambians, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) moved to evict him militarily.
ECOWAS raised a military force from some member nations and moved into neighboring Senegal in readiness for action should diplomatic efforts fail to persuade Jammeh to quit on his terminal date in office. Jammeh eventually quit and left the country to allow President Barrow, who took the oath of office in Senegal, effectively take over the administration of The Gambia.
The development made the military force raised by ECOWAS to discontinue its planned advance into Banjul, the Gambian capital on Thursday.
Sources in the Gambia told SaharaReporters that Mr. Jammeh left the country aboard a Dassault Falcon-900DX aircraft provided by Guinean President, Mr. Alpha Conde, from his country's main international airport. The ousted dictator arrived the airport in a convoy of exotic vehicles which were loaded onto a cargo plane before was feted to a military band as he walked on the red carpet laid for him accompanied by some supporters that wept profusely on the tarmac.
He wore his customary white flowing robe.
At the end of the ceremonies marking his ouster, he boarded a private jet and was flown out of Gambia. The relief at knowing he had finally departed sparked boisterous celebrations on the streets of Banjul.
Yahya Jammeh goes into exile
BY SAHARA REPORTERS
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