Gambian President Yahya Jammeh on Wednesday said that plotters would never win, as fears mounted of possible reprisals by his regime a day after a failed coup.
Jammeh returned overnight on Wednesday from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, where he was on a private visit when the putsch attempt was staged in the west African country.
“Those who advocate and sponsor violence for regime change should know that they are not only acting in violation of the human rights and legitimate interest of those affected, but it is also against the will of the almighty Allah,” Jammeh said in a New Year address.
He did not specifically mention the putschists.
A group of heavily armed men led by an army deserter attacked the presidential palace in the capital, Banjul, before dawn on Tuesday, but were repelled by forces loyal to Jammeh, who has ruled for 20 years.
Three suspects, including the alleged ringleader, identified as Lamin Sanneh, were killed, a military officer said.
After returning, Jammeh went directly to the presidential palace where he was shown the damage caused by the attack and bodies of the slain assailants, the source told reporters.
The 49-year-old strongman made no public comment, but his demeanor was stern and some men “appeared to be nervous,” the source said.
The source said there were fears that Jammeh, who himself seized power in a coup in 1994, may launch a purge.
The coup bid “has exposed some flaws in the military system even though the attackers were repelled. Some officers are certain to be singled out,” the source said.
Jammeh claims to have foiled a succession of coup plots and has come under fire for serious human rights abuses, including repression of the media and the disappearance of rivals.
Dakar-based researcher Gilles Yabi warned of a “major risk of repression extending beyond the military figures involved in the coup attempt.”
“There are fears the regime could take advantage of the situation by blaming people who had nothing to do with it,” Yabi said.
Jammeh, a former head of military police, has ruled the largely rural nation of about 1.8 million people since he came to power in a coup that toppled then-Gambian leader Dawda Jawara.
The US and Britain voiced concern about the coup attempt in the Gambia.
Neighboring Senegal “strongly” condemned the coup attempt, which it said was undertaken “by a group of insurgents.”
Jammeh was criticized by Washington and London in 2013 for the Gambia’s human rights record, but Commonwealth nations sprang to his defense on that occasion.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for a probe of the failed coup as the UN Security Council met to discuss the turmoil. Ban also urged the government, security and defense forces in Banjul to “act in full respect of human rights.”
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