Jammeh's lawyer 'flees'


The lawyer for Gambian strongman Yahya Jammeh has fled to Senegal after writing a letter to the defeated president urging hi to give up power, Nigeria's Premium Times newspaper reports.

Edu Gomez said he had worked for M Jammeh under "tremendous pressure and coercion", it reports.

The newspaper also quotes the letter as saying:

On Tuesday 17th January 2017, my son and I took a crucial decision to seek sanctuary in the sister Republic of Senegal. This was found necessary due to the mounting fear and rapidly increasing tension at every passing moment."

The BBC has not obtained independent confirmation of the report.

Mr Gomez represented Mr Jammeh in his legal bid to annul his defeat at the hands of property developer Adama Barrow in the 1 December election.

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Gambian embassy in Senegal shut

A BBC reporter in Senegal's capital Dakar has just been to Gambia's embassy - it is shut with no guards or staff.

The embassy is due to host the controversial inauguration of property developer Adama Barrow as the third president of The Gambia later today.