Gambia navy officer behind failed coup bid - government - BBC

A navy serviceman has been named by The Gambia's authorities arsenic the alleged ringleader of a failed coup plot.

Lance Corporal Sanna Fadera had been detained, on with 4 different officers, successful an cognition nether mode since Tuesday, a connection said.

The main absorption enactment and the West African determination bloc condemned the attempted coup.

A retired subject serviceman said helium doubted the crippled was serious, arsenic each the officers were junior.

The authorities connection said that loyalist troops were inactive searching for 2 alleged accomplices, pursuing the apprehension of officers from the navy, subject police, authorities guards and archetypal infantry battalions.

The Gambia is simply a mostly unchangeable state successful West Africa which is fashionable with holidaymakers due to the fact that of its beaches and wildlife.

Life has continued arsenic mean successful the capital, Banjul, since the authorities said connected Wednesday that it had foiled a coup crippled the erstwhile day.

The Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) condemned the attempted coup, saying the determination assemblage "stands firmly" by President Adama Barrow's government.

Meanwhile, the run manager of the main absorption party, Momodou Sabally, has been detained by constabulary implicit a wide circulated TikTok video which suggests that Mr Barrow would beryllium unseated earlier adjacent year's section authorities elections.

The constabulary connection did not nexus Mr Sabally, who was a statesmanlike affairs curate successful erstwhile person Yahya Jammeh's regime, to the alleged coup plot.

Mr Sabally's United Democratic Party (UDP) said it condemned, "without immoderate reservations", the attempted coup.

It besides demanded Mr Sabally's contiguous release, saying the "short edited" video did not accurately bespeak his views.

"There is nary denotation that Mr Sabally successful immoderate mode stated oregon suggested that determination volition beryllium a alteration of authorities done immoderate unlawful oregon amerciable means," it added successful a statement.

Mr Barrow defeated Mr Jammeh, whose 22-year regularisation was marked by authorities repression and brutality, successful December 2016, and won a 2nd word past year.

Shocked by the crook of events, Mr Jammeh was forced into exile successful Equatorial Guinea, though helium remains an influential fig successful The Gambia, 1 of Africa's smallest countries.

Many elder officers near the service aft Mr Barrow took office.

He has been distrustful of the military, with troops from neighbouring Senegal successful complaint of his idiosyncratic security, portion the main planetary airdrome and oversea larboard are guarded by troops from Nigeria and Ghana respectively.

This has made him unpopular with galore Gambians, who consciousness that helium has undermined the country's sovereignty by relying connected overseas forces.

Mr Barrow besides drew disapproval aft helium broke distant from the UDP, which propelled him to powerfulness successful 2016, and formed the National People's Party (NPP) to contention past year's election.

His popularity plummeted further erstwhile helium announced that helium had formed an confederation with Mr Jammeh's aged party, successful what was seen arsenic an effort to boost his chances of securing a 2nd term.

On the different hand, immoderate of Mr Jammeh's allies, similar Mr Sabally, crossed implicit to the UDP.