Habibu Barrow, the eight-year-old son of Gambian President-elect Adama Barrow, died on Sunday after being bitten by a dog, BBC Africa reports.

Mr. Barrow’s son was reportedly being transported to a hospital in Manjai when he died.

The Gambian president-elect could not attend his son’s funeral, as he was advised to remain in Senegal for his safety.

Mr. Barrow won the December 2016 presidential election in The Gambia, but outgoing President Yahya Jammeh has thus far refused to hand over power, despite initially conceding defeat.

Mr. Barrow’s inauguration ceremony is slated for Thursday, January 19. Mr. Jammeh, who has ruled the small West African country since 1994, announced that he would not recognize Mr. Barrow’s inauguration until the Supreme Court rules on his appeal contesting the election results. The court postponed the hearing due to its lack of judges eligible to hear the case.

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), in talks mediated by Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, urged Mr. Jammeh to accept the results of the election, but he has refused to do so. The African Union (AU) announced that it would formally recognize Mr. Barrow as president of The Gambia on January 19, regardless of whether or not Mr. Jammeh steps down.

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