TheCable

Papa Faal, a 46-year-old US-Gambian, and Cherno Njie, a United States (US) resident, have been arrested and charged to the court for alleged attempt to oust President Yahya Jammeh of Gambia.

Jammeh, who was out of the country when the attack happened, blamed it on foreign dissidents based in the US, UK and Germany.

Faal and Njie, who are Gambians, were arrested after they arrived in the US and the justice department said they would appear in court on accusation of aiding “a coup against a friend of the US”.

Eric Holder, US attorney general, condemned the attempted coup.

“These defendants stand accused of conspiring to carry out the violent overthrow of a foreign government, in violation of US law,” he said in a statement.

“The United States strongly condemns such conspiracies. With these serious charges, the United States is committed to holding them fully responsible for their actions.”

On December 30, armed men led by Lamin Sanneh, a lieutenant colonel and former state house commander, invaded the country from Senegal in an attempt to overthrow Jammeh.

Sanneh was appointed commanding officer of the state guards in July 2012 but was relieved of the position after falling out with the president about a year later.

The coup was however thwarted by the military in a fiery gun battle in Banjul, the nation’s capital.

Jammeh seized power in 1994 and has ruled the nation for a stretch of over 20 years.