2 Military officers arrested in Gambia for alleged coup attempt

Two Gambian military officers have been nabbed for allegedly plotting to remove President Adama Barrow from office.

A statement on Monday by government’s spokesman Ebrima Sankareh said they were apprehended over the weekend.

Their arrest followed the earlier interception of a group of soldiers that attempted to stage the mutiny.

“Two more soldiers…were arrested over the weekend and are helping investigators unearth allegations of plans to overthrow the Government”, Sankareh noted.

The officers include a second-lieutenant of the Gambian infantry, and a captain from the military intelligence and security unit.

They were arrested on Saturday and Sunday respectively; the search for other alleged plotters is ongoing.

A total of seven military personnel are in custody, according to the government.

Barrow has been President of the Gambia since 2017. He was reelected in December 2021.

Africa has witnessed a series of coup de tat since August 2020. The affected countries are Mali, Guinea, Sudan and Burkina Faso.

A coup was executed in Sudan in October 2021 after a failed attempt. The military reinstated civilian authority but remains actively involved in government.