Gambia foils alleged coup attempt, arrests four soldiers
Gambian authorities have foiled a military
coup attempt and arrested four soldiers plotting to overthrow President Adama
Barrow's administration, the government said on Wednesday.
The Gambian Armed Forces High Command
arrested four soldiers linked to the alleged coup after a military operation on
Tuesday, it said in a statement.
Coup attempts are not uncommon in the Gambia,
a tiny West African country of 2.5 million almost entirely surrounded by
Senegal, which is still reeling from over two decades under former president
Yahya Jammeh marked by authoritarianism and alleged abuses.
Jammeh himself seized power in a coup in 1994
and foiled several attempts to overthrow him before he lost an election in late
2016 to Barrow.
His ouster was widely viewed as a boost for
democracy, although there has been growing frustration with Barrow's government
for its failure to address poverty and rising living costs.
"Based on intelligence reports ... some
soldiers of the Gambian army were plotting to overthrow the democratically
elected government," the government said on Wednesday.
The army is in pursuit of three other alleged
accomplices and investigations are ongoing, it added.
There were no details on whether the coup
attempt was linked to the previous regime.
Eight ex-soldiers led by one of Jammeh's
former military aides plotted to overthrow Barrow the year after he came to
power. They were sentenced to jail in 2019 on treason and conspiracy charges
they denied.
Want to send us a story? SMS to 25170 or WhatsApp 0743570000 or Submit on Citizen Digital or email wananchi@royalmedia.co.ke
Comments
No comments yet.
Leave a Comment