Gambia’s new president is sworn in — in another country

DAKAR, Senegal— Fearing for his safety, the newly elected president of Gambia was sworn in Thursday during a ceremony about 150 miles from the border of his country, part of a tense standoff over who is in charge of continental Africa’s smallest nation.

Yahya Jammeh, the repressive leader of Gambia who seized power in a coup 22 years ago and once said he could rule for a billion years, is refusing to step down after losing the presidential election last month.

At least 26,000 Gambians, worried about violence, have fled the country, the United Nations says, and several senior officials in Jammeh’s government have resigned in protest or have left the nation, as well.

Plans for an elaborate ceremony in a soccer stadium in Banjul, Gambia’s capital, had to be scrapped amid the standoff.

Gambia has suffered high unemployment and political repression for years under Jammeh, with many citizens abandoning the country to risk perilous and often deadly journeys to Europe by sea.

After initially accepting defeat in the election, he suddenly cited voting irregularities and called for a new vote.