The dramatic pre-dawn arrest of notorious ex-Jungler Sanna Manjang and several associates in Senegal’s Casamance region was triggered by intelligence indicating the group was actively reorganizing to stage a coup d’état aimed at reinstalling exiled former dictator Yahya Jammeh.
Security Sources said the joint Gambian–Senegalese operation followed “credible and specific intelligence” that Manjang and other wanted Junglers had regrouped in southern Senegal and were recruiting mercenaries, procuring arms, and planning to infiltrate The Gambia to overthrow President Adama Barrow’s administration.
“Intelligence received indicated that these individuals were in advanced stages of plotting a violent coup to enable former President Yahya Jammeh to return to power,’ a senior security official told The Alkamba Times on the condition of anonymity as he is not authorized to speak to the press about this highly sensitive matter. “Their immediate neutralization was therefore imperative to protect the peace, democracy, and constitutional order of The Gambia.”
Manjang, who has been a fugitive since January 2017, was seized alongside at least four other suspects – two Gambians and two foreign nationals whose identities are yet to be disclosed. Sources within the security services say weapons, encrypted communication devices, and documents outlining the alleged plot were recovered.
The 52-year-old former paramilitary commander is one of the most frequently named perpetrators in the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC) final report, accused of personally participating in the torture and murder of political opponents, journalists, and perceived enemies of the Jammeh regime between 1994 and 2017.
Since Jammeh’s defeat in the 2016 election and subsequent exile to Equatorial Guinea, sporadic intelligence reports have warned of loyalist networks attempting to destabilise the country. Previous foiled plots in 2021 and 2022 were linked to former Junglers and soldiers still loyal to the ex-president.
President Barrow’s administration thanked Senegal for its “swift and decisive cooperation,” describing the operation as evidence of deepening security collaboration in the sub-region.
The government has promised that all suspects will be repatriated within days and may face charges ranging from treason and terrorism to past human rights crimes. Authorities have appealed for calm and warned against spreading unverified information while investigations continue.
The development is expected to renew pressure on Equatorial Guinea to extradite Yahya Jammeh himself to face trial in The Gambia or before a proposed hybrid tribunal.
