In just 48 hours to his expected handover, the outgoing Gambian President, Yahya Jammeh, has declared a 90-day state of emergency.

Outgoing Gambian President Yahya Jammeh has declared a 90-day state of emergency a day before his official mandate ends, state TV reports.

Regional leaders have been unsuccessfully trying to persuade him to hand over power to Adama Barrow, who won December’s elections.

The move comes after Nigeria deployed a warship to further pressure Mr. Jammeh.

Regional bloc, ECOWAS has prepared a force but maintains that military intervention would be a last resort.

The exact terms of the state of emergency remain unknown, as no details were provided with the announcement.

The president is meant to be inaugurated as the new president on Thursday.

He initially accepted the election results but then decided he wanted them annulled after the elect0ral commission admitted some errors, although it insists this did not affect the final outcome.

The Supreme Court is unable to hear the challenge until May because of a shortage of judges, and Mr Jammeh has said he will not step down until then.

At least three Gambian ministers, including the foreign minister, have resigned in recent days. Thousands of Gambians have also fled to neighbouring Senegal amid fears of violence.

Source: BBC Africa