The Gambia's political crisis deepens as British tourists return home

(Sky News)- British tourists have started to arrive back in the UK from The Gambia amid that country's worsening political crisis.

Gambian President Yahya Jammeh declared a state of emergency earlier this week after refusing to hand over power following his loss in last month's election.

With fears that the turmoil could see Banjul airport close at short notice, holiday companies urgently put plans into place to fly thousands of Britons home.

Thomas Cook said it had 985 package tourists and 2,500 "flight-only" customers in the West African country and it expects to have brought them all back - on 16 flights - by the end of Friday.

Among those who arrived overnight on Wednesday was Sara Wilkins, from Church Stretton, Shropshire, who said: "We weren't getting any proper communication.

"Then I rang Thomas Cook again this morning and they said: 'Pack your bags, you've got to go'.

"We just panicked, just threw everything in a case and just got out of three basically.

"It was a nightmare at the airport - people were crying and panicking. It was just chaos."

Karl Degnan from Nottingham said: "The communication at the hotel was very poor. I got up this morning to get some breakfast and was just told we've got to pack, we've got to go."

Ebrima Jagne is from The Gambia but works in the UK.

After he arrived at Manchester Airport late on Wednesday, he told Sky News that he had to leave his family behind and that he fears for their safety.

"I have got my wife there - my daughter is three months old - baby three months old," he said.

"I have been there since last December.

"I'm really desperate. It's not easy at all when I leave my wife there, my daughter.

"I feel so sad that I have to leave my daughter and my wife and members of my family and I don't know what's going to come next."

Adama Barrow, a former Argos security guard in London, is due to be sworn in as The Gambia's president today.

The Gambia's neighbours had threatened military action if Mr Jammeh did not bow out gracefully by midnight but this deadline passed with no word from the long-time leader.

Thousands of Gambians have fled across the border to Senegal to escape the possible conflict.

Senegalese forces are ready to cross the border if Mr Jammeh refuses to step aside and Nigeria's air force has deployed fighter jets and surveillance planes to Senegal, which borders The Gambia.

Ghana has also pledged to contribute to the regional force.

Olof Skoog, president of the UN Security Council said: "There is still a little bit of time - although time is running out - for diplomacy and mediation to work.

"I think there is a sense that the whole situation rests within the hands of one person and it is up to that person, the outgoing president of Gambia, to draw the right conclusions and to avoid any further escalation of the situation."

The Security Council is negotiating a Senegal-backed resolution draft authorising the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to use "all necessary measures" to remove Mr Jammeh from power.

Despite all of this, Mr Jammeh, who seized power in a 1994 coup, has shown no signs of stepping down.