Gambia’s Ministers of Finance, Foreign Affairs, Trade and Environment have resigned from President Yahya Jammeh’s government, according to report on Tuesday.
They all resigned as regional forces prepare to oust the veteran leader unless he steps down by Thursday.
Jammeh, in power since a 1994 coup, has become increasingly isolated at home and abroad after he refused to accept his defeat in the December 1, 2016 presidential election, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.
The president’s surprise defeat was seen as a boost to democracy in the former British colony, which has had only two presidents since it gained independence in 1965.
But Jammeh’s defiance has sent the tiny West African country into crisis, causing government defections and opening up the prospect of military intervention by other countries in the region.
A senior Nigerian military source said Nigeria and other West African nations were prepared to intervene militarily to remove Jammeh if he remains in office after Wednesday, when his presidential mandate runs out.
“The chiefs of defence staff of West African countries met on Monday to discuss strategies on the best way to get Yahya Jammeh out if he refuses to hand over power,’’ the Nigerian, who declined to be identified, told NAN.
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