British tour operator Thomas Cook has started removing nearly 1000 holidaymakers from Gambia after President Yahya Jammeh declared a state of emergency on his final day in office, increasing the chances of civil unrest.
In a statement on its website on Wednesday, Thomas Cook said it had activated its contingency plans and was laying on extra flights to take 985 package tour customers from the tiny West African nation.
It was also trying to contact a further 2500 "flight only" tourists in Gambia to arrange for their departure on the earliest available flight.
Jammeh, who seized power in a coup 22 years ago, lost a December election to Adama Barrow, who once worked as a security guard at a shop in north London, but has refused to recognise the result.
Jammeh is one of Africa's most capricious and ruthless autocrats who has resorted to torturing or killing perceived opponents, according to human rights groups.
Despite the reputation of its leader, Gambia's Atlantic ocean beaches are popular with European holidaymakers seeking winter sun, sea and sand.
A senior Nigerian military source said this week the ECOWAS regional bloc was getting ready to remove Jammeh by force if he refused to hand over to Barrow by a January 19 deadline determined by the constitution.
Barrow is in neighbouring Senegal, fuelling speculation he might be sworn in as president at the Gambian embassy in Dakar.
