January · This Day in Africa
January 21
2017 — Yahya Jammeh Flees The Gambia
On the evening of January 21, 2017, Yahya Jammeh boarded an unmarked plane in Banjul and fled into exile in Equatorial Guinea. His departure ended 22 years of autocratic rule over The Gambia. Banjul erupted in celebration as his plane lifted off, carrying away a ruler many thought would never leave.
He had lost the December 2016 election to Adama Barrow, conceded on television, then reversed himself and clung to power. Only when ECOWAS troops crossed the border, and days of regional mediation forced his hand, did he finally go. The standoff's end proved an election result, once defended, could outlast a strongman.
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