Yahya Jammeh, president of Gambia, once claimed that he would rule for "billions of years." In fact, his term in office ostensibly came to an end last month after just 22 years when he lost an election. Jammeh is clinging to power, however, plunging the country into a political crisis. Jammeh must go and African leaders must ensure that the election results are respected.
Gambia has had just two presidents since it won independence in 1965. Jammah, the second, seized power in a coup in 1994. The third, Adama Barrow, bested Jammeh in December's presidential ballot, winning 43.3 percent of the vote to the incumbent's 39.6 percent (a third candidate took the rest). Jammeh initially conceded defeat but then said he would not accept the results, claiming fraud and irregularities.
The international community has urged Jammeh to honor the voters' will, with other African nations taking the lead in efforts to get him to leave office and offering him asylum, to no effect. Barrow was sworn in Thursday at Gambia's embassy in Senegal, with the ceremony beamed back to his home country on television.
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