Q & AAfrica

Failed Gambia Coup Casts a Spotlight on Jammeh’s Abusive Regime

Gambian President Yahya Jammeh leaves a central Banjul polling station after casting his vote for president in Banjul, Gambia, Sept. 22, 2006 (AP photo by Rebecca Blackwell).
Gambian President Yahya Jammeh leaves a central Banjul polling station after casting his vote for president in Banjul, Gambia, Sept. 22, 2006 (AP photo by Rebecca Blackwell).
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Gambia yesterday accused the former head of the presidential guard of leading a small coup attempt that two U.S. citizens were also involved in. In an email interview, Jeffrey Smith, an advocacy officer at the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights, discussed Gambian politics and the recent attempted coup. WPR: What is the nature of President Yahya Jammeh’s regime, and how strong is his support among the general public and military? Jeffrey Smith: Yahya Jammeh is a retrograde dictator, one of the last remaining strongmen in power on the African continent. For West Africa, a region that […]

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