Mandate of regional force in The Gambia extended

The mandate of the ECOWAS regional force in The Gambia has been extended for another three months.

This is according to the office of newly elected President Adama Barrow which also indicated that the standby force has integrated itself into the security and military fabric of the country.

Last month, a senior UN official said that Barrow had requested the mission of the troops from the regional body to be extended by six months.

The post election crisis in The Gambia led to the intervention of the West African troops giving mediators the necessary leverage to negotiate Yahya Jammeh’s departure.

The ECOWAS force managed to pressure the long-time leader to step down following Adama Barrow’s victory in the country’s recent polls.