Troops of the Economic Community Of West African States (ECOWAS) have been arrived Banjul, the capital of Gambia, to install the country’s new president Adama Barrow.
According to reports, a Senegalese Army General led the joint force of troops from five African nations. He said soldiers had nonetheless entered The Gambia to “control strategic points to ensure the safety of the population and facilitate Barrow’s assumption of his role”.
Marcel Alain de Souza, a top official with ECOWAS, said pro-Jammeh elements and mercenaries remained on the ground and had opened fire as troops crossed the border.
“They were neutralised,” he said, without elaborating.
De Souza said the country “could not be left open” for long, however, and that Barrow must be in place “as soon as possible”.
“A country must have a government, but the security conditions required the troops we have sent to secure Banjul and other towns,” he said.
