Gambian President Yahya Jammeh declared a three-month state of emergency on Tuesday, citing "unprecedented and extraordinary ... foreign interference" in the December 1 presidential election that he lost. "Under this state of public emergency, civil liberties are to be fully respected while all citizens and residents ... are banned from any acts of disobedience," Jammeh said in a statement. "The security forces are hereby instructed to maintain absolute law and order throughout the country," he added. Jammeh, who has ruled Gambia with an iron fist for 22 years, was due to step down on Thursday after losing the election last month to Adama Barrow, a real estate mogul little known before his presidential campaign. In calling the state of emergency, Jammeh said "the current state of fear and confusion created by some of the political players in the country ... could lead to the breakdown of law and order." Barrow fled Gambia on Saturday to the Senegalese capital, Dakar, amid fears of violence. Gambia's parliament approved the 90-day state of emergency, but the opposition rejected the declaration's validity. "This grievous abuse of the law by parliament in excess of its powers amount[s] to a fundamental breach of the spirit and letter of the Basic Law," opposition coalition leader Mai Ahmed Fatty said in a statement. "This unlawful declaration does not avail Jammeh and cannot buy him more time in power," Fatty said. "A new government shall be enthroned, and Jammeh will either be a former president or an outlaw," Fatty said. Senegal's government accepted Barrow at the request of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which failed in repeated attempts to convince Jammeh to cede power. ECOWAS also pledged to send troops to ensure a peaceful transition of power. Earlier Tuesday, Tourism and Culture Minister Benjamin Roberts said he will step down, in a sign of dwindling support for Jammeh. Roberts is the sixth member of the incumbent president's cabinet to resign in less than 48 hours, following the ministers of trade, foreign affairs, finance, environment and sport. Observers believe the resignations show that Jammeh, 51, is increasingly politically isolated.
