Gainako has been following rumors all evening that there has been a military mutiny in the small West African State of the Gambia in the early hours of Tuesday December 30th, 2014. We also received several calls from readers and listeners to Gainako Radio inquiring about what is happening in the Gambia. Many reported hearing rumors of gunfire around the surroundings of the State House. The Gambian President Yahya Jammeh is currently outside of the country on a private visit to France and Qatar.
Gainako contacted several sources on the ground in the Gambia and outside who also reported hearing the same thing but cannot confirm it. Our initial attempt to confirm the story did not yield much results. There are lot of conflicting reports coming out of Banjul and outside.
However, the latest report coming out of Banjul indicates that there was indeed an attempt by some soldiers to take over the State House in Banjul. There was reported gun fire at the State House around 2am on Tuesday morning which lasted for almost two hours. The Denton bridge was reported closed and vehicles were being turned away from entering Banjul.
Further sources close to the State House command reported that the attempted take over has been foiled and some soldiers were killed and others captured. The leader of the operation who is not named at this point has reportedly been captured and is in custody. The plotters are reported to be former soldiers of the Gambia National Army who were in exile. As we go to press the situation is very tense and the information coming from Banjul continue to be sketchy.
As mentioned earlier the Gambian President is outside of the country on a private visit. The situation in the Gambia continue to be tensed as Yahya Jammeh continue to rule the country with an iron fist. Many believe that there is growing discontent among the citizenry and the security apparatus as the President continue to consolidate power within his own Jola tribe by appointing his men to senior security positions. Consistently security personnel as well as political appointees and civil servants continue to be fired, arrested and jailed for alleged corruptions. It is clear that the status quo in Banjul cannot continue. It would be wise for the President to begin to consider the discontentment of citizens across the board and try to address those concerns. Failure to heed to those warning signs the President and his government will continue to face threat both within and outside. Government must guarantee the rights of citizens without which neither the leadership nor the government can enjoy security and safety at the expense of citizens.
Gainako is monitoring the situation and will bring you reports as they develops… This is a developing story and will be updated…