Addressing the nation on the occasion of the New Year 2023, His Excellency President Adama Barrow seized the opportunity to speak about the December 2022 foiled coup plot, applauding the security forces, in particular the Intelligence Service and the Gambia Armed Forces (GAF) High Command for “boldly and promptly taking action to foil the plot”.
He said: “It is regrettable that a handful of soldiers recently planned to overthrow the democratically elected government of the day. The devastating consequences of illegally overthrowing a constitutionally elected government can never justify the means employed, nor the ill-advised purposes for such deadly crimes”.
Further on the consequences of undemocratic means of changing government, the President noted that Gambians had lived through a military regime, and that they know “how military takeovers have destabilised, disunited and isolated countries within the sub-region that struggle to live with them”.
He reaffirmed that The Gambia is a multiparty democracy, and that citizens can legally contest for public office if they wish. He therefore warned that to do otherwise, amounts to treason and carries severe penalties.
The President reminded that it is time for national reconciliation and consolidation of our democratic institutions, and not time to revert to lawlessness, subversion, and unconstitutional tendencies. “Because there are effective measures to ensure that justice prevails; all unlawful acts, mob justice inclusive, will not be tolerated. Wherever we may be, we must take charge to make our environment safe and maintain peace, law and order”.
On December 21st 2022 The Gambia Government issued a press release announcing that it got intelligence reports that some soldiers of the Gambian army were plotting to overthrow the democratically elected Government of President Adama Barrow. It reported that the GAF High Command in a swift military operation had arrested four soldiers, linked to the alleged coup plot. It also revealed that the army was in pursuit of three more alleged accomplices.
Furthermore, in another press statement last week government said it inaugurated a “Joint Investigative Panel” to investigate the foiled coup plot.
“The multi-sectoral Panel draws membership from the Ministry of Justice, Office of National Security (ONS), The Gambia Armed Forces (GAF), The Gambia Police Force (GPF) and the State Intelligence Service (SIS) to exhaustively, professionally and impartially investigate the alleged coup plot.
Consistent with the due process of the law, the 11-member Panel was sworn to an Oath of Secrecy administered by the Solicitor General, Ministry of Justice”.
It said the investigators have thirty days effective 27th December 2022 to investigate, prepare and submit their report on the alleged coup plot.
