Kukoi Sanyang

Kukoi Samba Sanyang (1952 – 18 June 2013) was a Gambian politician and leader of the unsuccessful 1981 coup d'état against the government of Dawda Jawara.

Early years Sanyang was born in the village of Wassadu in the district of Foni Jarrol.

Role in the 1981 coup d'état On 31 July 1981, while Jawara was abroad, a 12-member National Revolutionary Council (NRC) headed by Sanyang seized control of the country. The leftist NRC accused Jawara's government of being "corrupt, tribalistic, and despotic". They also announced the suspension of the country's constitution and proclaimed their intention to establish a "dictatorship of the proletariat".

The attempted coup ended on 5 August when Senegalese troops defeated the rebel forces. Sanyang took refuge in Libya, which had also given him some backing for the coup attempt.

Role in Liberia

Charles Taylor visited Libya several times, probably between 1986 and 1989. He met with Sanyang and other Gambians who had participated in the 1981 coup attempt. In 1989 “Dr. Manning” was listed by the NPFL as Taylor's vice-president, but was soon edged out by Taylor and retired to manage a bar in Ouagadougou. He was detained at the Masuang Military Camp "in maximum military detention” on 12 May 2007. On January 30, some military officers in Bissau blocked their own government in its attempts to hand Kukoi Sanyang over to the authorities in Banjul.