Gambia’s Yahya Jammeh agreed “in principle” to hand over power to President Adama Barrow, Mauritanian and Guinean sources said, but differences remained before a full deal could be reached.
Mauritania’s President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz and Guinea’s Alpha Conde held several hours of talks with Jammeh yesterday in which they agreed he should step aside but not how and where he would live out his exile.
Troops from five African nations were stationed on the tiny nation’s borders in the event the last-ditch talks fell through, as it was confirmed Conde would stay today to iron out remaining disagreements.
Jammeh has refused to recognise his defeat in presidential elections last month, and would be offered asylum in the country of his choice, Conde advisor Kiridi Bangoura said earlier in the day.
“Jammeh has accepted he will leave power. The discussions revolve around where he will live in exile and the conditions around that,” a Mauritanian source close to the delegation in Banjul told AFP.
A highly-placed Guinean source said the country of exile had to be far enough away to stop Jammeh interfering in his country’s affairs.
The three men met at Jammeh’s seat of power, State House, and halted to observe Friday prayers together at a nearby mosque.
The Guinean source mentioned Equatorial Guinea as a possible option, while diplomats discussed the possibility of Morocco.
Jammeh has rejected President Adama Barrow’s December 1 election win, despite huge pressure from regional powers and the UN, sparking a major crisis and sending Gambians and tourists — vital for the tiny country’s economy — fleeing.
Isatou Touray, a top official in Barrow’s coalition told AFP there was “no deal yet” but added: “I think he has to go, because he is compelled.”