Gambia's President Adama Barrow has finally returned
home Thursday, to solidify his position as the country's
first new commander in chief in two decades after a
political crisis that sent the previous ruler into exile.
Gambians eagerly awaited Barrow at the airport in
Banjul amid tight security. Barrow defeated Jammeh in
December elections, but the veteran leader did not want
to cede power.
Barrow was sworn into office on Jan.
19 at the Gambian Embassy in neighboring Senegal
because of security threats as Jammeh clung to power.
Jammeh finally left Gambia last weekend, bowing to
international pressure that included a regional military
force, ending a more than 22-year rule.
The West
African troops were poised to oust Jammeh if
diplomatic talks failed.
There are currently 2,500 of the ECOWAS troops still in
Gambia — in the capital, Banjul, as well as at key
crossing points between Gambia and Senegal and at
the port and airport, according to Sweden's U.N.
Ambassador Olof Skoog, the current U.N. Security
Council president.
