ACCRA, Jan. 19 (Xinhua) -- Ghanaian president Nana Akufo-Addo has authorized the deployment of 205 troops to Gambia as part of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) mission in that country.
The combat team is backed with appropriate logistical equipment, according to a statement signed by Eugene Arhin, acting director of communications at the presidency, on late Wednesday.
The statement said the regional bloc, ECOWAS, decided to deploy troops from its member states to Gambia as a result of the refusal of Gambian President Yahya Jammeh to leave office following his defeat in the December elections.
The objective is to create an enabling environment for "effective enforcement of the rule of law" and to facilitate the inauguration of the President-elect Adama Barrow, the statement said.
Jammeh has refused to accept the results of the Dec. 1 polls, which saw him lose to Barrow, a real estate mogul before his candidacy.