A West African regional force charged into neighbouring Gambia late Thursday to support the country's newly inaugurated president, while longtime ruler Yahya Jammeh showed no sign of stepping down.

Gambian President Yahya Jammeh faced the prospect of a military intervention by regional forces, as the man who once pledged to rule the West African nation for a billion years clung to power.

The West African regional bloc stands with the people of Gambia and will apply diplomatic solutions to solve the country's political crisis.