ECOWAS military intervention in the Gambia

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The ECOWAS military intervention in the Gambia or the ECOWAS Mission in The Gambia (abbreviated ECOMIG) – initially code-named Operation Restore Democracy – is an ongoing military intervention in The Gambia by several member states of the Economic Community of West African States. Troops from ECOWAS entered The Gambia in January 2017 following long-time Gambian President Yahya Jammeh's refusal to step down after his loss in the 2016 presidential election to Adama Barrow. This ultimately ended the 2016-17 Gambian constitutional crisis. Forces entered the country on 19 January at the request of Barrow, who was sworn in that day as the new president at the Gambian embassy in Dakar, Senegal. As troops reached the capital, Banjul, Jammeh stepped down and left the country. Following his departure, 4,000 ECOWAS troops remained in The Gambia to maintain order in preparation for Barrow to return and consolidate his presidency. A week after his inauguration, Barrow returned to the country while requesting...

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