A former Gambia army chief and seven others were sentenced to death on Thursday for plotting to overthrow President Yahya Jammeh last year, news reports said. The group, among them ex-army chief Lang Tombong Tamba, was convicted of high treason by a court in Banjul, the capital of the West Africa nation, news portal Jollofnews.com reported.
Relatives and friends of the accused, all members of the military or intelligence service, broke out in tears when the sentence was announced. Jammeh came to power in a coup in 1994 and has been confirmed in office three times after winning controversial elections. Rights groups have criticised the president's human rights record.