Gambian President Yahya Jammeh has fired
his interior minister and replaced him with a military officer
previously convicted of plotting a coup against him, in the latest
unpredictable move from the west African strongman.
A press release read over state
television on Sunday night said longtime minister Ousman Sonko would be
replaced “with immediate effect” by Momodou Alieu Bah, who helped mount a
2006 coup against Jammeh.
Jammeh has fended off several attempted coups since coming to power in 1994 via the same method.
Bah had previously served as finance
director for the Gambia’s armed forces, and hails from Lamin, a village
close to the capital, Banjul.
