On the morning of Dec. 30, 2014, an attempt was made to oust President Jammeh. Nine men attacked the presidential palace in Banjul. The coup attempt was led by Lieutenant-Colonel Lamin Sanneh. Sanneh once led the countrys State Guard, but had been dismissed and fled Gambia. The small group attempting the coup included U.S. citizens, at least two of them former soldiers, retired U.S. Army Captain Njaga Jagne and former U.S. Army Sergeant Papa Faal.

Palace guards fought off the attack, killing Sanneh and Jagne. One other attacker was taken captive while the rest fled. Faal and Cherno M. Njie, both citizens of the United States, were charged with weapons violations and conspiring to carry out a coup by U.S. federal prosecutors in Minneapolis the following month.

This was not the first failed coup against President Jammeh. A 2006 failed attempt resulted in executions and further crackdown against any dissent.

See also Encyclopedia: Gambia .

U.S. State Dept. Country Notes: The Gambia