Gambia's Jammeh loses Presidential Election to Adamu Barrow

The Gambia’s autocratic president, Yahya Jammeh, who once claimed a “billion-year” mandate to rule, has agreed to concede defeat after a shock election loss to a real-estate developer.

Jammeh has ruled the tiny west African nation for more than two decades. If he goes ahead with a peaceful handover of power, challenger Adama Barrow will become its third head of state since independence in 1962.

The head of the Gambia’s electoral commission, Alieu Momarr Njai, said Jammeh would concede on

Friday. A video of his speech has already been recorded and is being edited, news websites have reported.

It was “very unique” that Jammeh would accept defeat after controlling the Gambia for so long, Njai said.