Adama Barrow, who defeated Mr. Jammeh in a December election, has pledged to respect human rights and rebuild foreign relations.

Mr. Jammeh refused to accept the election result and went into exile last month after regional forces entered the country.

Following a meeting with Mr. Barrow in the capital Banjul, the EU commissioner for international cooperation and development, Neven Mimica, said the aid package would to be used to increase food security, rebuild roads and boost jobs.

“The visit is a clear signal of the EU’s readiness to provide immediate financial and technical support to the democratic process in The Gambia,” Mimica told reporters.

The EU is also preparing a medium-term assistance package of 150 million euros, he said.

Mr. Jammeh took power in a 1994 coup and his government established a reputation for torturing and killing opponents, charges he denied.

He repeatedly fell out with the EU, expelling its charge d’affaires in 2015.

A weak economy and political repression in the West African country has made it one of the continent’s leading sources of migrants trying to reach Europe by sea despite a population of only 1.9 million.

Source: Reuters