ECOWAS military intervention in the Gambia

"Operation Restore Democracy" redirects here. For the military intervention in Haiti, see Operation Uphold Democracy.

ECOWAS military intervention in the Gambia
Part of the 2016–2017 Gambian constitutional crisis (first three days of the intervention)


Top: Senegalese army troops gather at the border with Gambia on 19 January
Bottom:
  •   The Gambia
  •   ECOWAS Coalition
Date19 January 2017 – Present
Location
The Gambia
Result

Ongoing

  • Amidst the Gambian constitutional crisis, ECOWAS intervenes in the country militarily (at the request of Adama Barrow) without resistance from pro-Jammeh forces.[6]
  • Jammeh leaves the country as forces approach Banjul, and Barrow arrives as President days later.
  • 2,500 ECOWAS troops remain in The Gambia.
  • Clash between ECOWAS forces and alleged Pro-Jammeh elements in The Gambian military in April 2017.
  • Protests against continued presence of ECOWAS forces.
Belligerents

Pro-Jammeh forces

ECOWAS forces

Commanders and leaders
Yahya Jammeh Surrendered
Benjamin Yeaten		 Adama Barrow
Macky Sall
Muhammadu Buhari
Nana Akufo-Addo
Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta[7]
Faure Gnassingbé[8]
Strength
180
1,733 foreign mercenaries[2]		 7,000 soldiers[4]
200–800 soldiers[9]
1 warship NNS Unity (F92)[10]
205 soldiers[11]
~125 Gambian navy soldiers[5]
Casualties and losses

The ECOWAS military intervention in the Gambia or the ECOWAS Mission in The Gambia (abbreviated ECOMIG)[14] – initially code-named Operation Restore Democracy – is a 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 the 2,500 troops stay for at least six months to help him firmly establish order. He has renewed this request several times, and ECOWAS forces still remain in the country as of June 2023, training and assisting domestic security forces.[15][16][17]

Although there were some reports of isolated minor clashes during the first few hours of the military incursion in January 2017, there were no reports of casualties in the initial conflict. In the following months, two civilians were reported to have been killed in incidents surrounding protests against the continued military presence in the community.

  1. ^ "Jammeh's party petitions Supreme Court to halt Barrow's investiture". AfricaNews. 20 January 2017.
  2. ^ a b c Kwanue, C. Y. (18 January 2017). "Gambia: Jammeh 'Imports Rebels'". allAfrica. Retrieved 19 January 2017.
  3. ^ Ewubare, Kess (19 January 2017). "Breaking: Gambian Navy desert Jammeh, declare allegiance to Barrow".
  4. ^ a b Jones, Bryony; Westcott, Ben; Masters, James (20 January 2017). "Gambia: Defeated leader Yahya Jammeh faces military showdown". CNN. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
  5. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Najj was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ "Gambia crisis: Senegal troops 'enter' to back new president". BBC. 19 January 2017. Retrieved 19 January 2017.
  7. ^ Haddad, Tareq (20 January 2017). "Army operation to enter The Gambia suspended for last-ditch talks". International Business Times. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
  8. ^ Alike, Ejiofor (15 January 2017). "Gambia: Use of Force Imminent As Ecowas Plans to Oust Jammeh". allAfrica. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
  9. ^ "Nigeria sends troops, jets to Senegal for Gambia force". Yahoo.com. 18 January 2017. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
  10. ^ "Nigerian troops, warship head for Gambia: Punch – News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)". Nan.ng. 1 December 2016. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
  11. ^ "Ghana to deploy troops to Gambia border – ITV News". Itv.com. 18 January 2017. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
  12. ^ "At least 26,000 people flee Gambia to Senegal as refugees -UN". Thomson Reuters Foundation. Archived from the original on 20 January 2017. Retrieved 19 January 2017.
  13. ^ Cite error: The named reference UNHCR was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  14. ^ "ECOMIG forces explain mandate in Gambia".
  15. ^ Petesch, Carley (26 January 2017). "Gambia's new president returning to nation as new era begins". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 26 January 2017. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
  16. ^ Farge, Emma; Bavier, Joe (26 January 2017). "Gambia's Barrow asks regional force to stay for six months". Yahoo News. Reuters. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
  17. ^ Cite error: The named reference PostReturn was invoked but never defined (see the help page).