Gambia court sentenced soldier to twelve years in prison for organising coup

A soldier was given a 12-year prison sentence by a Gambian court for planning to carry out a coup in the West African nation, which ended a 22-year dictatorship and brought democracy back.

The court found Lance Corporal Sanna Fadera guilty of treason on Tuesday, according to a ruling seen by AFP on Wednesday.

The Gambia has had a democratic resurgence despite a string of military takeovers in the region since 2020.

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The tiny state was ruled by former dictator Yahya Jammeh for 22 years until Adama Barrow, a political newbie, surprisingly defeated him in the presidential election in December 2016.

Fadera, who refuted the accusations, was stated in the court ruling to have desired to include one officer, a number of lower-ranking soldiers, and some civilians.

About ten individuals were questioned in December of last year; four of them were charged and put on trial.

On Tuesday, three of those were found not guilty of disclosing what Fadera was about to do.

Fadera, a frustrated navy laboratory worker, was described in the judgement as wanting to rally support from the public by bringing them outside.

It claimed that he had conferred with religious authorities in Mali and the Gambia, known as marabouts, throughout the planning stages.

“There was no violence employed in the commission of the offence,” the judge stated while determining the defendant’s sentence. He also took into account the defendant’s youthful age—which was not mentioned—and the fact that he had no prior convictions.