Gambia’s defeated leader agrees to cede power, official says

BANJUL, Gambia — Longtime Gambian leader Yahya Jammeh agreed Friday to yield power to the man who defeated him in last month’s presidential election, a Senegalese government official said.

The Senegalese government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to talk to reporters, said final arrangements to the agreement with Jammeh were still being worked out.

Defense forces chief Ousmane Badjie said Gambia’s security services all support Barrow and would not oppose the regional force.

The force, including tanks, rolled into Gambia without facing any resistance, said Marcel Alain de Souza, chairman of the West African regional bloc, ECOWAS.

The force included troops from Senegal, Ghana, Nigeria, Togo and Mali, and they moved in after Barrow’s inauguration and a unanimous vote by the U.N. Security Council to support the regional efforts.

Jammeh had agreed to step down but demanded amnesty for any crimes he may have committed during his 22 years in power and wanted to stay in Gambia, in his home village of Kanilai, de Souza said.