On Tuesday, the highest court of Gambia sentenced a soldier to 12 years in prison for spearheading an attempted coup against President Adama Barrow's government in the previous year.

In January, eight soldiers were accused of treason and conspiracy for their part in the Dec. 21, 2022, coup attempt in this 2.5 million-person West African nation that Senegal nearly wholly encircles.

In addition, charges of conspiracy to commit a felony and concealment of treason were brought against two civilians and one police officer.


Seven people were freed mid-trial after being found not guilty, including the two civilians and the officer.

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The court decided on Tuesday that Sanna Fadera, the soldier who was suspected of being the ringleader, had committed treason. All charges against three other soldiers who were accused were dropped.

In the Gambia, which is still in shock from more than two decades of authoritarianism and purported abuses under former president Yahya Jammeh, coup attempts are not unusual.


Before Jammeh lost an election to Barrow in late 2016, he had taken control of the country in 1994 and thwarted multiple attempts to remove him.

Fadera has refuted every accusation. He can challenge the decision within 30 days.