The July 1994 coup D'Etat in the Gambia: The end of an era?

Fragmented forces: The development of the Gambian military

“…Due to the vastly different size of the Gambian and Senegalese populations, Senegal also contributed more resources and troops. 29 Furthermore, the key tasks of guarding the airport, port, and Gambian president were given to Senegalese troops. 30 Gambian soldiers said that at the time they saw potential personal benefits to the Confederal Army, but some also saw it as an insult to their national pride not to have full responsibility of protecting the nation.…”

“…29 Furthermore, the key tasks of guarding the airport, port, and Gambian president were given to Senegalese troops. 30 Gambian soldiers said that at the time they saw potential personal benefits to the Confederal Army, but some also saw it as an insult to their national pride not to have full responsibility of protecting the nation. 31 Political opposition parties claimed the confederation was a threat to national sovereignty and economically disadvantageous to the Gambian citizens.…”

“…35 The Senegalese Minister of Defence justified the withdrawal by reasoning that the Senegalese soldiers were needed to deal with an emerging issue on the border with Mauritania. 36 Gambia responded by initiating the legal measures to dissolve the confederation. 37 Thus the Senegambia Confederation ended less than seven years after it was formed.…”

The Gambia's 2006 Presidential Election: Change or Continuity?

“…On Friday, September 22, 2006, Gambians endured intense heat and heavy rains to vote in the third presidential election since soldier-turned-civilianpresident Yahya Jammeh came to power in a 1994 bloodless coup d'etat (Ceesay 2006;Loum 2002;Saine 1996;Wiseman & Vidler 1995). President Jammeh's ruling party, the Alliance for Patriotic Re-orientation and Construction (APRC), defeated two separate, though ideologically and programmatically similar, political/party alliances.…”

“…Among the various reasons advanced for the 1994 coup d'etat, the most important were related to the complacency of the ruling People's Progressive Party and endemic corruption (Wiseman & Vidler 1995;Zeebo 1995;Saine 1996;Loum 2002). These factors inspired deep-seated dissatisfaction and disillusionment among the populace, especially its young people, who became increasingly convinced that the solution to their problems could be found only outside the framework of President Jawara's democracy (Obadare 1999).…”