West African nations halt Gambia operation to allow mediation

West African nations halted a military operation in Gambia on Thursday to give a final chance to mediation efforts, but will resume at noon on Friday if Yahya Jammeh still refuses to hand over power to the new president, a regional official said. Speaking to reporters, Marcel de Souza, head of the ECOWAS commission, said it was out of the question that Jammeh be allowed to remain in Gambia.