Buhari, others meet in Abuja over Gambia crisis

President Muhammadu Buhari and four other West African leaders will today meet in Abuja on how to avoid violence and preserve democracy in The Gambia.

The Presidents of Liberia and Senegal, vice president of Sierra-Leone and ex-President John Mahama of Ghana are expected at the meeting.

The parley in Abuja is following the one in Accra, Ghana held on the sidelines of the inauguration of that country’s president which expressed the readiness of leaders of the sub-region to continue dialogue with the leaders of The Gambia.

Buhari and Mahama as mediator and co-mediator, have also been mandated by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to ensure the safety of the President-elect, Adama Barrow and ensure a peaceful handover of power on January 19.

President Yahya Jammeh of Gambia refused to accept defeat in an election last month.

Jammeh, a former coup leader who rulead the country for 22 years, initially accepted his defeat by opposition Barrow in the December 1 election.