Dr. Mohammed Ibn Chambas said the UN will stand by the decision of the sub-regional body, which calls for the will of the people of The Gambia and the constitution to be respected.

“Yahya Jammeh should simply accept the result of the elections as was done in 10 other African countries over the past two years in order to allow the country to move forward,” Dr. Chambas told journalists at a joint press conference held at UNMIL Headquarters in Monrovia Wednesday.

He noted that besides the UN, the African Union (AU) and other international bodies, including the European Union (EU) and bilateral countries are also in support of ECOWAS’ decision.

He said international bodies and nations were convinced that “the will of the people of Gambia as expressed in the December 1 presidential poll which was judged by local and international observers as credible, free, fair and transparent, be respected and accepted by President Jammeh.”

“The international community, including the UN, will be united against Jammeh by supporting ECOWAS in exploring the necessary means to have him accept the will of the Gambian people,” Chambas stressed.

The UNOWAS head indicated that the United Nations has and will always support the collective decision of ECOWAS and as such it is working with the body to ensure that the situation in The Gambia is resolved amicably.

The joint press conference brought together the SRSGs of the U. N. Mission in Liberia (UNMIL), Farid Zarif; U.N. Mission in Cote d’Ivoire (UNOCI), Aichatou Mindaodou; the U.N. Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), Mahamat Saleh Annadif; and U.N. Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS), Dr. Chambas.

The press conference was held following the 30th High-Level Meeting of Heads of UN Missions in West Africa in Monrovia, which is held twice every year.