The African dictator who gave sanctuary to Gambian tyrant Yahya Jammeh last year has hinted that he may eventually be willing to hand him over to face trial for human rights abuses.

Teodoro Obiang, the long-running president of Equatorial Guinea, took in Mr Jammeh last January after the Gambian president unexpectedly lost elections to opposition underdog Adama Barrow, who once worked as a security guard in a London Argos.

Mr Jammeh's downfall was hailed as a David-and-Goliath victory for democracy in tiny Gambia, where he had ruled for 22 years. But his departure to Equatorial Guinea led many of those who suffered human rights abuses during his regime to assume that he would never face a court.

Mr Obiang has never signed the statutes of the International Criminal Court, meaning that Mr Jammeh cannot be extradited without his host’s permission.

However, despite a widespread presumption that Mr Obiang would dismiss extradition requests out of hand, he said in a rare interview last week that they would be studied and "considered".