1981 Gambian coup attempt

1981 Gambian coup d'état attempt
Part of the Cold War
Date30 July – 4 August 1981
Location
Result

Coup d'état attempt fails

Belligerents
Gambia Socialist Revolutionary Party
Commanders and leaders
Units involved
  • Gambia Socialist Revolutionary Party
  • Elements of the Gambia Field Force
Casualties and losses
20 100

The 1981 Gambian coup d'état attempt began on 30 July 1981 and was quashed in early August following a Senegalese military intervention. The insurrection was carried out by members of the Gambia Socialist Revolutionary Party and disaffected staff of the Gambia Field Force. At the time, President Dawda Jawara was in the United Kingdom attending the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer. The failure of the coup precipitated the creation of the Senegambia Confederation in 1982.