Gambia's former president, Yahya Jammeh, is reportedly seeking support from top local politicians to move for his return home.
According to a report by Bloomberg, Jammeh's former party, the Alliance for Patriotic Re-orientation and Construction party is planning a protest.
The protest will target the United Nations (UN), the African Union (AU) and Economic Community of West African States ( ECOWAS), to ensure Jammeh returns to the Gambia
Deputy leader of the party, Ousman Rambo Jatta has confirmed the reports.
"He is on his way... He can be here any time," he told the BBC's Focus on Africa programme.
The international bodies included the clause that Jammeh could return at "a time of his choosing" in a January 2017 deal to end the month-long political impasse.
The clause was put in place after his refusal to step down for Adama Barrow who won a December 2016 vote.
Jammeh, 54, has been living in Equatorial Guinea ever since a regional armed intervention enforced the election result.
He ruled the West African nation for 22 years. Barrow is expected to seek re-election next year despite an earlier agreement to step down after a 3-year transition period.
Mr Jammeh's safety couldn't be guaranteed if he did return without permission, a government spokesman told the BBC.
A spokesman for Mr Jammeh's party said he could arrive back at any time.
Jammeh was forced into exile in Equatorial Guinea after he refused to accept his defeat in elections in December 2016.
You will recall that he seized power in a coup in 1994, he went on to hold regular elections but was accused of human rights abuses, including extrajudicial killings, torture and arbitrary detention.
The allegations are currently being addressed over the past year at public hearings of the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC) set up by his successor, President Adama Barrow.
Although Jammeh has refused to co-operate with the commission, he has often expressed his desire to return to the country.
About Yahya Jammeh
Yahya Abdul-Aziz Jemus Junkung Jammeh is a Gambian politician and former military officer who was the leader of The Gambia from 1994 to 2017, firstly as chairman of the Armed Forces Provisional Ruling Council from 1994 to 1996 and then as President of the Gambia from 1996 to 2017. (Wikipedia)
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