The Aku or Krio or Creole are a minority ethnic group of Gambia with roots among the Sierra Leone Creole. In Sierra Leone, Muslim Creoles are known as Akus (Aku Muslims) or Marabouts, while in the Gambia, the term Aku refers to the entire Creole population. In the Gambia, 'Aku Marabout' is the term used for Muslim Creoles although many Aku Krio in and around Banjul are Christian.
In Gambia the Akus account for about 1% of the population. Some estimates put the figure higher. Gambian Akus are descendants of Sierra Leone Liberated Africans, Settlers, transatlantic immigrants to the Gambia, and liberated Africans dropped off in the Gambia. Gambian Krios are an extension of the Freetown community of Creoles, and they have roots in the West Indies, North America, England, and the various African communities of Liberated African slaves. Gambian Akus also have some European heritage through intermarriage and through their connections to Freetown Creoles. Many speak Aku, an English-based creole language similar to the Krio language of Sierra Leone.