The European Union, the African Union (AU) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on Thursday condemned the recently dismantled coup attempt in The Gambia, after authorities announced the arrest of four military personnel who were preparing a coup d’état.
«The EU condemns the coup attempt in The Gambia and reaffirms its full support for the president, Adama Barrow,» said in a message on his account on the social network Twitter the EU High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, who stressed that «strengthening a democratic Gambia is in the interest of all.»
Senegalese President Macky Sall, who is AU rotating president, has «strongly» condemned the «attempt to destabilize the Gambian government.» «The AU vigorously rejects any seizure of power by arms and shows its solidarity with the Gambian government,» he said.
In this line, ECOWAS has shown in a statement its «dismay» and «shock» at «the news of an attempted coup in The Gambia». «The ECOWAS Commission strongly condemns the attempt to overthrow the democratically elected Government of The Gambia and underlines its total rejection of any unconstitutional change of government in any member state,» it said.
In this regard, it applauded «the leadership and personnel of the Gambian security services for their respect for their constitutional role in dismantling this illegal plot» and showed its «strong» support for the Gambian government.
Gambian government spokesman Ebrima Sankareh said Wednesday that four military personnel had been arrested for their alleged role in a plot to overthrow President Adama Barrow, while noting that three other suspects remained at large.
Hours later, Sankareh himself said in a second statement that those arrested are Sanna Fadera, a member of the Navy considered as the leader of the plot; Mbarra Touray, from the 1st Infantry Battalion; Ebrahima Sanno, from the Military Police; and Gibril Darboe, from the Navy.
«The detained soldiers are assisting the Military Police with their investigations,» he said, before stressing that «investigations are continuing.» «Citizens, residents and members of the diplomatic and consular corps are asked to continue their normal activities, as the situation is under full control and there is no need to panic,» he concluded.
Barrow was sworn into office in January for a second term after the Supreme Court rejected in late December the appeal filed by the main opposition candidate against the official results of the December 4, 2021 elections.
The president won re-election despite the fact that this meant breaking his promise of only three years in office — which expired in 2020 — after reaching a controversial alliance with the party of former dictator Yahya Jamé and after some allies left his side to run against him.
The president, who claimed victory in December 2016 after running as an independent with the support of Jamé’s opposition groups, was sworn in in January 2017 after the dictator went into exile in Equatorial Guinea after initially rejecting his defeat, leading to a threat of military intervention by ECOWAS.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
