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Gambia's Jammeh asks for extension of deadline for him to leave power

Gambia's Jammeh asks for extension of deadline for him to leave power

By REUTERS

Gambia's President Al Hadji Yahya Jammeh attends the plenary session of the Africa-South America Summit on Margarita Island September 27, 2009. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins/File Photo

BANJUL: Gambia's longtime leader Yahya Jammeh has asked the West African bloc ECOWAS for an extension of a midday deadline for him to leave power until 4 p.m. local time (1600 GMT), government sources said on Friday. Guinea's President Alpha Conde and Mauritania's President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz arrived in the Gambian capital Banjul on Friday for last-ditch talks with Jammeh, witnesses said. It was not clear whether Jammeh intended to step down. READ ALSO: West African forces to wait for end of talks before advancing in Gambia