Dozen soldiers to face charges in Gambia

BANJUL, Gambia: A dozen Gambian soldiers will face charges for nine different offences, an army spokesman told AFP on Saturday, amid fears that a faction of the military remains loyal to ex-president Yahya Jammeh.
The charges were laid out at a court martial hearing held on Friday, where 12 officers were presented to a military panel and a civilian judge in a case shrouded in secrecy.
"Twelve army officers were arraigned before a court martial at Yundum barracks yesterday," army spokesman Lamin Sanyang told AFP.
Pleas will be entered on November 27, when the men are expected to be formally charged.
Separately, military sources told AFP the charges relate to sedition accusations and suspicions of loyalty to former President Jammeh, who ruled the small west African nation with an iron fist for 22 years.