ECOWAS forces in The Gambia seize weapons from Jammeh's home

The ECOWAS Mission in The Gambia (ECOMIG) has seized weapons and ammunition from the private home of exiled former President Yahya Jammeh in his hometown in the west of the country.

The commander of the joint mission, General François Ndiaye announced the seizure on Monday without specifying the quantity of weapons nor the day they were seized.

“All weapons and ammunition are now in the custody of ECOWAS, so nothing will happen there (Kanilai). The situation is under control … the Gambian armed forces have been very cooperative,” he said.

General Ndiaye also confirmed the arrest of the head of an elite unit of the Gambian army, General Bora Colley in Senegal without giving details.

He also mentioned the arrest of four members of Jammeh’s bodyguards who had accompanied him into exile but tried to return to The Gambia.

They were arrested in the Senegalese city of Karang, bordering the Gambia, and were detained on Monday in Dakar. He declined to give further details on the operations.

The ECOWAS forces were deployed to enforce a peaceful transfer of power and to protect the rights and freedom of civilians if defiant Yahya Jammeh decides to use the military to remain in power.

New Gambian President Adama Barrow who returned to the country last week said over the weekend that the ECOWAS troops will remain in the country indefinitely until they are not needed anymore.

Barrow decided to maintain the head of the army General Ousmane Badjie and also keep the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) but change its name.