Troops to be welcomed 'with cup of tea' in Gambia

PIC: Senegalese soldiers patrol the area close to the Senegal-Gambia border near Karang on Friday. (AFP)

The Gambia's army chief Ousman Badjie on Friday said troops from five African nations will be welcomed "with a cup of tea" rather than gunfire if they intervene to ensure veteran leader Yahya Jammeh stands down.

A regional force gathered by the 15-nation Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is poised to march on the capital, Banjul, to make sure Jammeh steps down and leaves the country following his December 1 defeat at the ballot box.

Badjie, a former Jammeh loyalist, said after attending Friday prayers at a mosque that "for our brothers who are coming, we are going to welcome them with a cup of tea and they place their weapons there."

"Why should we fight?", he added. "This is a political misunderstanding. There is no military solution to a political problem, let me tell you. We are not fools. I love my soldiers. I love the Gambian people. Nobody is going to be hurt here".

Jammeh, who has ruled the country for 22 years, was under international pressure to hand power to the winner of last month's presidential election, Adama Barrow.

Soldiers from Senegal and four other west African countries crossed the border on Thursday to support Barrow, who was sworn in at The Gambia's embassy in Dakar.

Jammeh has rejected Barrow's election win,  sparking a major crisis that sent tens of thousands of residents and hundreds of tourists fleeing.

The military operation was suspended earlier Friday to allow a final diplomatic push to convince Jammeh  to leave.