Senegalese forces have been sent to the Gambian border and will enter the country at midnight if outgoing President Yahya Jammeh does not step down, a military official has warned.
Colonel Abdou Ndiaye, a spokesman for the Senegalese army, said forces were ready to “step in” if no solution to the political unrest in the country was found.
Political tensions have been escalating in the country since December, when President Jammeh lost the leadership election to Adama Barrow but refused to leave office, citing irregularities in the vote.
His official mandate ends at midnight and President-elect Barrow has vowed to take office regardless of Mr Jammeh’s position.
“We are ready and are awaiting the deadline at midnight. If no political solution is found, we will step in,” Colonel Ndiaye said.
The affirmation raises concerns over a potential military confrontation between the neighbouring countries.
It came as President Jammeh declared on state TV a 90-day state of emergency on Monday. In the announcement, he also blamed an "unprecedented level of foreign involvement" in Gambia's election.
At least 26,000 people have fled Gambia to Senegal fearing unrest, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), who cited Senegalese government figures.
Thousands of British holidaymakers in The Gambia are waiting to find out when and how they will be flown home, after the Foreign Office updated its travel advice to warn against all but essential travel to the West African nation.
Tour operator Thomas Cook scheduled extra flights to fly home nearly 1,000 holidaymakers on Wednesday. It was also trying to contact a further 2,500 'flight only' tourists in Gambia to arrange for their departure on the earliest available flight, it said in a statement.
Additional reporting by Reuters
