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O 231835Z MAR 06
FM AMEMBASSY BANJUL
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6506
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE
RUEHDS/AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA 0263
RUFGAID/USEUCOM AIDES VAIHINGEN GE
RUEHLMC/MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE CORP

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BANJUL 000182 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DAKAR PASS RAO, ODC, AND DAO 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/23/2016 
TAGS: PGOV PINS CASC ASEC GA
SUBJECT: THE GAMBIA: MORE ON FAILED COUP ATTEMPT 
 
REF: A. BANJUL 178 
     ¶B. BANJUL 177 
     ¶C. STATE 45407 (TD-314/20413-06) 
 
BANJUL 00000182  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
Classified By: AMBASSADOR JOSEPH STAFFORD, REASON 1.4 (B AND D) 
 
SUMMARY 
------- 
 
¶1. (C) Amidst ongoing calm and atmosphere of general 
normality in the Gambian capital following the reportedly 
aborted coup plot March 21, GOTG source claims that the 
ringleader was spotted entering the Casamance region in 
Senegal. In March 22-23 meetings, our Emergency Action 
Committee (EAC) agreed that Embassy's current security 
posture remains appropriate.  The GOTG is keen to portray 
itself as functioning normally, but President Jammeh himself 
is maintaining a low profile.  According to a well-informed 
source, former National Intelligence Agency head and his 
deputy may soon be released from custody for lack of evidence 
of their involvement in coup plotting. However, we are also 
told that the Mayor of Banjul suburb has been picked up; if 
so, the number of current detainees would rise to ten.  We 
continue to  believe that there was indeed a plot to 
overthrow Jammeh, although the planning may not have been as 
advanced as claimed by the GOTG.  In any event, we do not/not 
regard this incident as jeopardizing the country's stability 
-- or its political calendar, including hosting the June/July 
AU summit and holding presidential elections in October 2006. 
 END SUMMARY. 
 
OVERVIEW 
-------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) As the dust begins to settle over the reportedly 
aborted coup attempt the evening of March 21 (reftels), calm 
continues to reign in the Banjul area and, to our knowledge 
elsewhere in the country.  The exception to the 
business-as-usual atmosphere is the reinforced military and 
police presence at the Denton Bridge security checkpoint on 
the highway between Banjul and the suburbs, where vehicles 
are being thoroughly searched.  In  their March 23 editions, 
local journals led with the coup plot story, featuring photos 
of the ringleader, former Chief of Defense Staff Lt Col Ndure 
Cham, reportedly still at large.  As this was being written, 
GOTG source claimed to us that Cham had been spotted entering 
the Casamance region of Senegal and that the GOTG had 
requested GOS assistance in apprehending him.  (NOTE: Rumors 
swirl about  Cham's  status; according to one, he has been 
secretly killed by authorities. END NOTE.) 
 
SIPDIS 
 
¶3. (SBU) In March 22-23 meetings, our Emergency Action 
Committee (EAC) agreed that the mission's overall security 
posture remained appropriate, that violence or disturbances 
stemming from a thwarted overthrow attempt could not be ruled 
out, and that continued careful monitoring of the situation 
was in order.  Various private Amcits expressed appreciation 
to us for our warden message (refs a and b), but reported no 
incidents. 
 
GOTG'S POSTURE 
-------------- 
 
¶4. (SBU) The GOTG is clearly intent on portraying itself as 
functioning normally in the aftermath of an attempt against 
its leadership.  March 22-23 witnessed previously scheduled 
GOTG events occurring as planned, e.g., funeral ceremony for 
deceased National Assembly Deputy attended by various 
ministers, and Information Minister's presiding over ceremony 
publicizing the issuance of UNICEF's World Children's Report 
2006  Sources report nothing amiss at military barracks in 
the Banjul area, and we are told that the newly appointed 
Deputy Chief of Defense Staff, Lt Col Peter Singhateh, 
immediately returned to The Gambia from the UK, where he had 
been on a training mission, to assume his post  here. 
(COMMENT: Indicative of the rumor mill's current intensity, 
some had claimed that Singhateh's new appointment was a ploy 
by President Jammeh to encourage the former's prompt return 
in order to have him arrested for suspected complicity in the 
plot.  A knowledgeable source told us, however, that as of 
March 23 Singhateh was at the office and busy familiarizing 
himself with his new duties.  END COMMENT.) 
 
¶5. (C) However, Jammeh himself has maintained a low profile 
since cutting short his visit to Mauritania the night of 
March 21-22 and returning to Banjul. We are not aware of any 
public appearances by him following his return; he himself 
has issued no statements about a coup attempt, evidently 
 
BANJUL 00000182  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
relying on the GOTG's March 22 press release containing 
assurances that all is under control (ref a).  A 
well-informed source told us that Jammeh was spending 
considerable time conducting a post-mortem on the thwarted 
coup plot with the newly appointed CHOD, Col Lang Tamba, and 
acting National Intelligence Agency (NIA) Director General 
Harry Sambou. 
 
OPPOSITION'S NON-REACTION 
------------------------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) The political opposition here has yet to react 
publicly to this episode; normally opposition-leaning 
journals have confined themselves to publishing the GOTG's 
press release.  We gather that opposition elements abroad are 
among those alleging fabrication of a coup attempt by a GOTG 
leadership seeking grounds to remove adversaries from 
government ranks. 
 
STATUS OF DETAINEES 
------------------- 
 
¶7. (SBU) As for the detained former NIA Director General Daba 
Marena, we have picked up reports that he and his deputy, 
Kemo Balajo, are likely to be released from custody soon for 
lack of evidence of their involvement in coup plotting. 
There are also reports that the former Mayor of the Banjul 
suburb of Kanifing and one-time close political ally of 
Jammeh, Abdoulie Conteh, has been taken into custody on 
suspicion of support for the reported overthrow attempt.  By 
our reckoning, his detention would bring to ten the number of 
persons (most of them military officers) known to be in 
custody for suspected involvement in the anti-Jammeh plotting 
(ref a contains list of detainees). 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
¶8. (C) We continue to believe that there was indeed plotting 
to overthrow Jammeh, notwithstanding ongoing speculation that 
the GOTG leadership fabricated the incident. Of course, it is 
possible that planning for a coup attempt was not as advanced 
-- or the threat so imminent -- as the GOTG has claimed.  In 
any event, at this point, we do not regard the incident, 
whatever the precise circumstances, as jeopardizing the 
country's stability -- or the upcoming political calendar, 
including the GOTG's hosting of the AU Summit or the October 
2006 Presidential elections.  END COMMENT. 
STAFFORD