ECOWAS urges Gambia to protect safety of president-elect

ABUJA (Reuters) - Gambia must ensure the safety of the president-elect, whose election victory is disputed by the current head of state, West African regional bloc ECOWAS said at the end of a special summit on Saturday. President Yahya Jammeh, who has led the country for 22 years, lost a Dec. 1 election to little-known challenger Adama Barrow and is due to step down on Jan. 18. Jammeh has called for a fresh vote and his party is challenging the result in Gambia's Supreme Court. (Reporting by Ulf Laessing; Editing by Robin Pomeroy)