History of the Gambia The Courlanders remained dominant until 1659 when their possessions were handed over to the Dutch West India Company. In 1660, the Courlanders resumed possession, but the next year were expelled by the newly formed Royal Adventurers in Africa Company. In 1667, the rights of the Royal Adventurers to the Gambia were sublet to the Gambia Adventurers but later reverted to the new Royal African Company. 1677 saw the beginning of a century-and-a-half-long struggle between the English and French for supremacy over the Gambia and Senegal. The English possessions were captured several times by the French, but in the Treaty of
Constitution of the Gambia Constitution of the Gambia The Constitution of The Gambia is the supreme law of The Gambia. The Gambia became a nation independent from the colonial rule of the British Empire in 1965 and adopted a constitution. The constitution was suspended by a military "coup d'état" in 1994. A revised constitution that came into effect in January 1997 then marked an official return to civilian control of the government, although the leader of the "coup", Yahya Jammeh, remained in power as President for another 20 years and exercised strong "de facto" personal control over the country. Following the presidential election of