Gambiaj.com – (BANJUL, The Gambia) – Aji Rohey Sidibeh, 2nd Deputy National President of the United Democratic Party (UDP) Female Youth Wing, has entered the ongoing debate over national remembrance, arguing that Minister Demba Sabally’s call to keep tragedy free from party colors, while seemingly principled, does not fully capture the historical realities underpinning The Gambia’s democratic struggle.
In a detailed political statement, Sidibeh stressed that the legacy of Solo Sandeng and the martyrs of April 10 and 11 cannot be confined to partisan ownership.
She described their sacrifice as “a defining chapter in our nation’s painful journey toward democracy,” rooted in demands for electoral reform and justice for two students she said were “inhumanely treated by the security forces.”
“For many Gambians, including the UDP, remembrance has never been about political branding,” she noted. “It has been about honor, reflection, and a continued commitment to justice.”
Her remarks come amid renewed political debate over how the country should commemorate its democracy martyrs. Sidibeh argued that the movement sparked by Solo Sandeng transcended party lines, framing it instead as a broader struggle for dignity, fundamental rights, and the rule of law.
At the same time, she raised concerns about what she described as selective memory in the current discourse. Questioning the posture of those now advocating for neutral remembrance, she asked where they stood when the sacrifices were being made.
“At a time when voices were needed most, when citizens stood up at great personal risk, not everyone stood on the side of courage,” she stated. “That historical reality cannot simply be revised or overlooked.”
Sidibeh maintained that commemoration should serve as a unifying national exercise rather than a partisan undertaking.
She proposed that April 14 and related dates be observed as moments of collective national reflection, allowing all Gambians, regardless of political affiliation, to acknowledge the cost of freedom.
However, she cautioned against detaching remembrance from its historical context. According to her, Solo Sandeng “did not act in isolation,” but as part of a wider movement for electoral reform and democratic change. Ignoring that context, she warned, risks erasing the very cause for which he and others paid the ultimate price.
She concluded that meaningful national remembrance must extend beyond symbolism, grounded instead in truth, accountability, and an honest reckoning with who stood for justice at critical moments.
Only through such an approach, she argued, can remembrance foster unity rather than deepen selective interpretations.
Sidibeh’s intervention adds fresh political weight to an already sensitive national conversation about memory, sacrifice, and how The Gambia honors those who died in the struggle for democratic change.
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