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1st LD Writethru: Gambian president declares state of emergency

Xinhua, January 18, 2017 Adjust font size:

Gambian President Yahya Jammeh declared a state of emergency on Tuesday after he refused to step down following an election defeat in December.

The president declared the 90-day state of emergency on state television, saying it will take effect immediately.

In the announcement, Jammeh blamed foreign interference "in the internal affairs of The Gambia" following the electoral crisis.

Jammeh lost the presidential election in December to businessman Adama Barrow. He conceded defeat the following day, but made a U-turn about a week later.

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has called on Jammeh, who came to power in 1994, to respect the election results and cede power to president-elect Barrow, who is currently in Senegal.

The 15-nation regional bloc has urged Barrow to stay in Senegal until a scheduled inauguration on Thursday, warning that it could resort to military force if diplomacy fails to tackle the crisis in Gambia. Endit