The Gambia’s government has denied there has been an attempt to overthrow President Yahya Jammeh while he is abroad.
A statement broadcast on state radio said that “contrary to rumours being circulated, peace and calm continue to prevail” in the West African state.
Heavy gunfire had earlier erupted near the presidential palace in the capital.
Mr Jammeh seized power in a coup in 1994 and his critics accuse him of ruling with an iron-hand.
Diplomatic and military sources said soldiers from the presidential guard appeared to have mounted the attack on the presidential palace in Banjul in the early hours of Tuesday.
A British teacher in Bakau, about seven kilometres (four miles) from Banjul, told the BBC that The Gambia had shut its nearby land borders with Senegal.
“Most of the big shops are closed at this point but there’s absolutely no military or police presence,” he said.
Source- BBC
