In a landmark move to defend democracy, West African troops Thursday entered the tiny West African nation of Gambia, to oust a president who has refused to cede power after an election defeat.
Senegalese troops entered Gambia hours after the incoming president, Adama Barrow, was sworn into office in neighboring Senegal. His predecessor, Yahya Jammeh, has refused to step down despite intense diplomatic pressure and threats of military intervention by other West African nations.
Jammeh last month rejected election results that saw him voted out of office after 22 years in power.
West African forces crossed into Gambian territory after the U.N. Security Council supported Barrow and called on Jammeh to accept defeat.
Barrow, clad in white, was sworn into office at the Gambian embassy, technically Gambian territory, in the Senegalese capital of Dakar.