BANJUL, Gambia —Gambia’s new president declared late Friday that “the rule of fear” had ended, while word emerged that longtime leader Yahya Jammeh was finally stepping aside under the threat of a regional military offensive.

In neighboring Senegal, where Adama Barrow has sought refuge after winning last month’s presidential election, a government official confirmed that Jammeh had agreed to leave. But at the airport in Gambia’s capital, Banjul, officials rolled up the red carpet leading to the plane that had signaled a possible departure.

Gambia's former President Yahya Jammeh reportedly has agreed to step aside under the threat of a military offensive. Associated Press/Jerome Delay

Jammeh has refused to accept his loss to Barrow, who was inaugurated Thursday at Gambia’s embassy in Senegal. The leaders of Guinea and Mauritania met with Jammeh on Friday to try to persuade him to cede power.

The Senegalese government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to talk to reporters, said final arrangements for the agreement with Jammeh were still being worked out.

Jammeh, who first seized power in a 1994 coup, has offered to step aside once before during the current crisis – only to change his mind later.

He has been holed up in his official residence in Banjul, and was becoming increasingly isolated as his security forces abandoned him and he dissolved his Cabinet.

Defense forces chief Ousmane Badjie told The Associated Press that Gambia’s security services now support Barrow and would not oppose the regional force that was poised to move against Jammeh if he refused to step down.

“You cannot push us to war for an issue we can solve politically,” Badjie said. “We don’t see any reason to fight.”

The force, including tanks, rolled into Gambia without facing any resistance, said Marcel Alain de Souza, chairman of the West African regional bloc, ECOWAS. At least 20 military vehicles were seen Friday at the border town of Karang.

The force included troops from Senegal, Ghana, Nigeria, Togo and Mali, and they moved in after Barrow’s inauguration and a unanimous vote by the U.N. Security Council to support the regional efforts.

Fearing violence, about 45,000 people have fled Gambia for Senegal, according to the Senegalese government and the U.N. refugee agency.

Jammeh met Friday with President Alpha Conde of Guinea and President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz of Mauritania, which has been mentioned as a possible home in exile for Jammeh.

Jammeh “has the choice of going with President Alpha Conde,” de Souza said, but if that fails, “we will bring him by force or by will.”

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