BANJUL, Gambia — Gambia’s defeated leader Yahya Jammeh and his family headed into political exile Saturday night, ending a 22-year reign of fear and a post-election political standoff that threatened to provoke a regional military intervention when he clung to power.

As he mounted the stairs to the plane, he turned to the crowd, kissed his Quran and waved one last time to supporters, including soldiers who cried at his departure.

The flight came almost 24 hours after he announced on state television he was ceding power in response to mounting international pressure calling for his ouster. The incoming president, Adama Barrow, said earlier Saturday that Jammeh would fly to Guinea, though that might not be his final destination.

Though tens of thousands of Gambians had fled the country during his rule, Jammeh supporters flocked to the airport to see him walk the red carpet to his plane. Women shouted: “Don’t go! Don’t go!”

Barrow defeated Jammeh in the December elections, but Jammeh contested the results as calls grew for him to be prosecuted for alleged abuses during his time in power. A regional force had been poised to force out Jammeh if last-ditch diplomatic efforts failed.

The situation became so tense that Barrow had to be inaugurated in neighboring Senegal at the Gambian Embassy. He said Saturday he would return to Gambia once it is “clear” and a security sweep is completed.

Jammeh’s announcement ended ending hours of last-minute negotiations with the leaders of Guinea and Mauritania.