The government remained tight-lipped over the issue and has announced the demotion and dismissal of a notorious army colonel who is an ally of President Yahya Jammeh. Also, the deputy Inspector General of the Gambia Police Force has been axed.

An announcement on the Gambia Radio and Television services fell short of confirming reports of detention of the dismissed men. General Tamba’s sack came alongside the arrest and detention of key figures within the security apparatus of the country and some members of the business community.

Sources say the shake up follows an intercepted letter published in the government owned newspaper, Daily Observer, purportedly written by a Gambian dissident, Kokoi Samba Sanyang, seeking support from the president of neighbouring Senegal, Abdoulie Wade, to oust the Yahya Jammeh regime.

Those arrested also include a former minister and once trusted military colleague of President Jammeh - Yankuba Touray – and the immediate former head of the country’s most notorious National Intelligence Agency.