Coup attempt in Gambia was unsuccessful, according to the authorities

The government of The Gambia claims to have repelled a coup attempt.

According to a statement, three alleged collaborators and four troops had been apprehended.

President Adama Barrow, who was elected to a second term last year, was overthrown on Tuesday, but it is unclear exactly who was behind the plot.

Due to its beaches and wildlife, The Gambia is a mostly stable nation in West Africa that attracts tourists.

The capital, Banjul, is calm, and daily life is unaffected.

There haven’t been any reported gunshots, and there are no indications that loyalist forces have been sent to guard important locations.

However, according to the government announcement, military reservists have been activated.

It said, “The situation is entirely under control.”

At first, the army denied that there had been a coup attempt on Tuesday, saying that it had just done a “military drill.”

In a surprise victory in the 2016 election, Mr. Barrow upset President Yahya Jammeh, who had held office for a long time.

Even though Mr. Jammeh was forced into exile in Equatorial Guinea, he still has a lot of power in The Gambia, which is one of the smallest countries in Africa.

After Mr. Barrow took office, a large number of senior officers quit the army.

He has a history of mistrusting the military, which is why Senegalese soldiers are in charge of his personal protection while soldiers from Nigeria and Ghana are in charge of guarding the main international airport and seaport, respectively.

Because of this, he has lost the support of many Gambians, who think that his reliance on foreign forces has made the country less independent.

In addition, Mr. Barrow lost support after he founded the National People’s Party (NPP) to run in the 2017 election, breaking away from the United Democratic Party (UDP), which had helped him win the presidency in 2016.

When he joined forces with Mr. Jammeh’s old party, it was seen as an attempt to boost his chances of getting a second term, which hurt his popularity even more.