UPDATED: Gambia’s Vice President Badara Joof is dead

The Vice President of The Gambia, Badara Joof, is dead.

He died after a brief illness, according to a tweet by the President of The Gambia, Adama Barrow.

“Fellow #Gambians, it is with a heavy heart that I announce the passing away of my #VicePresident, His Excellency, Badara Alieu Joof. The sad event took place in India after a short illness. May Allah grant him Jannahtul Firdawsi,” President Barrow tweeted.

Before assuming the position of vice president, Mr Joof previously served as Minister of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology from 2017 to 2022.

The Gambia

The Gambia is the smallest country within mainland Africa and is surrounded by Senegal, except for its western coast on the Atlantic Ocean.

The West African country gained independence from the British in 1965 under the leadership of Dawda Jawara, who ruled until Yahya Jammeh seized power in a bloodless 1994 coup.

Mr Jammeh stayed in power until 2016 when he was defeated by Adama Barrow at the elections. Mr Jammeh initially accepted the results but later refused to leave office, triggering a constitutional crisis and military intervention by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) that resulted in his removal two days after his term.

Mr Barrow became the Gambia’s third president in January 2017. On 4 December 2021, he was re-elected for a second tenure.

On 20 December 2022, the government of The Gambia announced that it foiled a coup attempt and arrested five soldiers.