International News

BANJUL, Gambia, (APP/AFP): Gambian prosecutors Thursday
charged opposition leader Ousaniou Darboe and 19 other activists arrested for unlawful assembly and rioting with a new charge of conspiracy to commit a felony.
Darboe, leader of the United Democratic Party (UDP), and his 19
co-defendants, including a new accused Masanneh Lalo Jawla, all pleaded not
guilty to the charge at the high court in Banjul.
They had previously been charged with unlawful assembly, rioting and
incitement to violence. Jawla was also charged with all the counts earlier
levelled against his co-defendants.
They are among 38 people arrested over demonstrations on April 14 and 16.
Some of them were detained on April 14 after a rare opposition protest
demanding political reforms while the others were arrested following a
demonstration two days later against the death of UDP official Solo Sandeng,
who is reported to have died suspiciously in custody, according to his party
and human rights groups.
The court adjourned the case to May 5 and did not rule on their bail
application.