Two Gambian military officials allegedly involved in a plot to oust President Adama Barrow‘s administration in a coup were detained over the weekend, according Government spokesperson on Monday.
On December 21, the administration said that a number of soldiers had been detained in connection with an attempt to launch a coup in the tiny, Senegal-surrounded country of 2.5 million people in West Africa.
“Two more soldiers linked to the alleged foiled coup plot were arrested over the weekend and are helping investigators unearth allegations of plans to overthrow the Government,” Ebrima Sankareh, the government’s spokesman said in a statement.
He claimed that while the hunt for further accused conspirators was still going on, a second-lieutenant of the Gambian infantry and a captain from the military intelligence and security unit were both taken into custody on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
Leaders of the West and Central African region have denounced the alleged conspiracy, which has led to the arrest of seven people, including two officers and five troops.
Since 2020, the region has experienced six successful military takeovers and one violent attempted takeover, raising concerns about the reversal of democratic progress in a place that had been thought to be moving away from the label of “coup belt.”