Gambian authorities have foiled a military coup attempt and arrested four soldiers plotting to overthrow President Adama Barrow's administration, the government said on Wednesday.

The Gambian Armed Forces High Command arrested four soldiers linked to the alleged coup after a military operation on Tuesday, it said in a statement.

Coup attempts are not uncommon in the Gambia, a tiny West African country of 2.5 million almost entirely surrounded by Senegal, which is still reeling from over two decades under former president Yahya Jammeh marked by authoritarianism and alleged abuses.

Jammeh himself seized power in a coup in 1994 and foiled several attempts to overthrow him before he lost an election in late 2016 to Barrow.

His ouster was widely viewed as a boost for democracy, although there has been growing frustration with Barrow's government for its failure to address poverty and rising living costs.

"Based on intelligence reports... some soldiers of the Gambian army were plotting to overthrow the democratically elected government," the government said on Wednesday.

My brother who has been pursuing his BSc degree course at @UniOfGambia, currently on exams and not gone to Army Barracks for more than a year has been arrested yesterday accused of planning a coup in #Gambia. He was arrested when he went to collect his salary.

How can someone (a soldier with no ranks) who as not been going to the army camp for over a year and fully concentrating on his university programme organise a coup? My brothers and cousin brothers are well known opposition sympathisers and I see this as a witch hunt against those perceived to be opposition sympathisers and are in the army. it is well known that the past presidential elections in #Gambia were rigged. @BarrowPresident knows this and is now trying to purge all those perceived to be opposition sympathisers from security forces.

I condemn the arrest of my brother, in the strongest terms possible. Ebrima has NOT planned a coup and has not been part of any group that has planned a coup in The #Gambia. The alleged coup attempt in Gambia is simply bogus. @BBCNews @AlJazeera @cnnbrk @rt_com @trtworld ..

I urge @BarrowPresident to immediately release Ebrima. My brother has NOT been part of any coup in Gambia and NO coup has been planned in the country. There'll never be another dictatorship in #Gambia and anyone who attempts to do so must understand that it will be resisted.

How can someone (a soldier with no ranks) who as not been going to the army camp for over a year and fully concentrating on his university programme organise a coup? My brothers and cousin brothers are well known opposition sympathisers and I see this as a witch hunt against those perceived to be opposition sympathisers and are in the army.

Bohhbeek:
Naija soldiers no fit do coup

Coup na ur mate

Lamasta:
What is it with some African countries and coup this days

dhope:

The reason is bad leadership. If not because Nigeria military has been submerged in pool of corruption, there's no reason for bubu to still remain in aso villa by now.
What of president weah of liberia that travelled out of his country for almost two months and even watched his son playing for US throughout WC play in Qatar when Liberians are in economic pains?