Gambia's President Yahya Jammeh arrived back in Banjul on Wednesday,
official sources said, one day after gunfire erupted around the
presidential palace and the government denied media reports of a coup
attempt.
Jammeh was in France or Dubai when violence broke out and he returned
home via N'Djamena, where he told officials from Chad during a
refueling stop on Tuesday evening that he planned to return home.
Jammeh, 49, himself took power in a coup 20 years ago and since then
has stifled dissent in his impoverished West African nation. He has
come under increasing criticism from abroad over issues ranging from
human rights to his claims he can cure AIDS.
Banks reopened on Wednesday, people headed to work and the city's key
Denton Bridge was also open, witnesses said.
On Tuesday, state radio played traditional music and an announcer read
a government statement playing down the incident.
"Contrary to rumours being circulated, peace and calm continue to
prevail in The Gambia," it said. "(The) government would like to urge
the public and all businesses to continue with their normal
activities."
Gambia, a splinter of land wedged into Senegal, has ocean beaches that
attract tourists, particularly during the northern hemisphere's
winter. They include about 60,000 Britons a year. The British foreign
office advised its citizens to stay indoors and avoid public
gatherings.
Witnesses in the centre of Banjul, which is situated on an island and
connected to rest of the city by the Denton Bridge, said on Tuesday
that security forces were stationed on street corners and patrolled
streets after hours of shooting earlier in the day.
This year the European Union withdrew millions of dollars in aid,
shortly after Jammeh signed into law an act that could imprison
homosexuals for life. In 2012, he was criticised for executing nine
people being held in prison.
--Reuters
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