Two of former Gambian President Yahya Jammeh’s generals were arrested by the military after they returned from exile over the weekend, the army said in a statement on Monday.
Umpa Mendy, Jammeh’s principal protection officer, and the former head of the State Guards Battalion Ansumana Tamba, were both arrested on Sunday when they unexpectedly returned back home, Reuters reports.
They were arrested at their respective homes…and are currently detained at the Yundum Military Barracks, where they are helping the military police with their investigations,” the statement said.
Jammeh was forced into exile after he refused to accept defeat, paving way for the current President Adama Barrow to take office.
One year on, Barrow is still seeking to assert control following the end of 22 years of Jammeh’s authoritarian rule under which the military served as a key pillar of an administration notorious for jailing and torturing political opponents.
Several senior military officers have been replaced or dismissed by the government due to suspicion of being members of a group called the Jungulars. The group is believed to have carried out killings on behalf of the government.
