Gunfire erupted at Gambia presidential palace amid reports of failed coup

Gunfire erupted around the presidential palace in Gambia's capital Banjul overnight and soldiers blocked the bridge leading to the center of the coastal city amid media reports of an attempted coup.

Forces loyal to Gambian President Yahya Jammeh, who came to power in a 1994 coup when he was 29 years old, killed three alleged suspects behind the failed coup bid on Tuesday, a military officer said. During his campaign for the last election in 2011, Jammeh vowed that only God, not a vote or coup, could shake his grip on power.

A diplomat said unknown gunmen had attacked the State House during the night but shooting had died down later. Local diplomats and media said Jammeh was in France when the violence broke out.

Banks and other offices in the capital and surrounding neighborhoods remained closed and residents locked themselves indoors. State radio played traditional kora music and remained silent on the incident.

"Contrary to rumors being circulated, peace and calm continue to prevail in Gambia," read a statement signed by Lakidu Bayo, the secretary-general and head of the civil service.

A French foreign ministry spokesman said Jammeh was not on an official visit in Paris and diplomatic sources said there was no indication that he was in France on a private visit either.

There was no official confirmation of reports of an attempted coup, but a senior West African diplomat told Reuters that mutineers were in control of some strategic pockets of the capital on Tuesday afternoon.

Jammeh, 49, has stifled dissent in the tiny West African nation and faced global condemnation over the country's human rights record, in part because of a law that introduced "aggravated homosexuality" as a crime punishable in some cases with life in prison.

In recent years, he has frequently reshuffled senior military and civilian officials, a policy that has prevented potential rivals from accruing power but has stoked instability.

Wire services