The former president of The Gambia, Yahya Jammeh, was born in this village and expanded it after coming to power.

Previously, the town had been a quiet backwater, home to small-scale maize and groundnut farmers and little else.

[1] It is now home to a presidential palace, a wrestling arena, a luxury hotel and a game park and zoo.

The zoo, which Jammeh said would allow Gambians to "experience African wildlife", was unsuccessful at first, with animals dying due to hunting, predation and insufficient food.

[2] On 19 January 2017, Senegalese troops took control of the village from pro-Jammeh Gambian Army and Movement of Democratic Forces of Casamance (MFDC) troops at the beginning of the Invasion of the Gambia.