PH
A Gambian court sentenced a soldier to 12 years in prison for conspiring to stage a coup in the West African country that has restored democracy after 22 years of dictatorship.
According to a judgment viewed by AFP on Wednesday, the court found Lance Corporal Sanna Fadera guilty of treason on Tuesday.
While the area has seen a series of military coups since 2020, Gambia has had a democratic re-establishment.
Former dictator Yahya Jammeh ruled the tiny state for 22 years before being ousted in presidential elections in December 2016 by political newcomer Adama Barrow.
According to the court decision, Fadera, who rejected the charges, sought to include many low-ranking soldiers, an officer, and several civilians.
Four of the approximately ten people who were first questioned last December were charged and went on trial.
On Tuesday, three of them were cleared of the charge of failing to notify Fadera’s plans.
According to the verdict, Fadera was a frustrated navy laboratory worker who said he intended to rally the public to his cause.
It was stated that he had consulted a marabout, or religious leader, in both Gambia and Mali during the planning process.
The judge, in his sentencing, said, “There was no violence employed in the commission of the offence,” and took into consideration the defendant’s young age, which was not given, and lack of previous convictions.
