Suwaibou Touray and Saikou Nyassi
Gambian president, Yahya Jammeh, in an interview with GRTS Kebba Dibba on New
Year’s eve at State House in Banjul broadcast late night at about 11pm, the Gambian leader said contrary to media reports that the attack at the Gambia State House in Banjul was a coup attempt against his government, it was an attack by dissidents based in the United States, Germany and the United Kingdom.President Jammeh alleged that all the weapons used or some of the materials used were made in the US. He however said they have a comprehensive plan but also said they too know about their planned treachery. He said the dissidents had a three staged plan, plan one, two and the final stage. He said what is interesting is the fact that the government was able to get all what the dissidents put in their computer. He said his government downloaded everything by being able to break the code. He promised to release further information which he described as startling.
The Gambian president however exonerated the Gambia Armed Forces and described them as very loyal. He said as far as they are concerned there isn’t any single officer involved in the attack; that it cannot be called a military coup attempt. He reiterated that it was a terrorist attack led by a group backed by some powers, but was short of naming the countries he said are behind the attack.
The Gambian president said there are countries who always talk about being friends of the Gambia but said what they have seen now is clear to every Gambian that they are not friends of the country.
President Jammeh said they have all the documents which he would show later. He said the attackers thought by attacking the State House, the armed forces would join them and the people in their thousands would also join; that they thought the armed forces and the people are disgruntled, which he said, is not true. He said that is why they have the type of weapons they had. He asserted that these were soldiers who were dismissed from the army and one of them who he did not name was a commander of the State Guard.
The Gambian president who said he is surprised how Mr. Lamin Sanneh, who was said to have led the attack and who had just left the country, could get finance to stage such an expensive act like the one he carried out on Tuesday. He went on to criticise a particular Embassy which he did not name, adding that the said embassy always wants Gambians to believe that they are true friends of the country. He emphasised again and again that it was not a coup attempt because no single Gambian soldier got involved in the attack. He added that the investigations are going on.
Asked to describe some of the weapons, he mentioned what he said is an American version of F16 bought in Florida and another that he said was a type of weapon used by the US in Iraq. He said he will not compromise with security because some people helped these attackers to bring the weapons inside the country. He vowed that those who are involved would pay a high price very soon.
President Jammeh said he is surprised to hear that he has posted information at a social media which he said is not true. He said he does not subscribe to any social media. He also said he did not speak to any media while he was away.]]>
