**A group of senior military officials and businessmen have been charged with trying to overthrow Gambian President Yahya Jammeh, the government says.**A Justice Ministry statement said the group had “conspired to stage a coup d’etat and overthrow the president”.
Mr Jammeh himself came to power after a bloodless coup in 1994.
His critics recently expressed concern over a wave of arrests of senior officials - some of whom have been in jail for months without charge.
In recent years, Mr Jammeh has publicly threatened to kill gay people and rights workers.
And last month the government expelled the envoy of the UN’s children charity, Unicef.