Gambiaj.com – (SEATTLE – United States) – United Democratic Party (UDP) leader and former Vice President Ousainou Darboe has described the 2016 killing of party activist Solo Sandeng as the moment that forced him into defiance against Yahya Jammeh’s authoritarian regime, regardless of the personal cost.
Speaking to UDP supporters and diaspora members in Seattle over the weekend, Darboe emotionally recalled the events of April 2016, when Sandeng, a youth mobilizer for the party, was arrested, tortured, and killed by state agents for leading a peaceful protest demanding electoral reforms.
“By midnight of Friday the 15th of April, I was told that Solo Sandeng had died,” Darboe said. “He was killed and dumped in an unmarked grave at the NIA. His death was the catalyst of Gambia’s redemption.”
Darboe himself was arrested days later for leading a protest calling for Sandeng’s release. Reflecting on those days in detention, he recounted a powerful moment when his daughter joined him in custody.
“She sat by me, wiped my head with tissue paper, and said, ‘Baba, I gave you a baby animal,’” Darboe said, his voice cracking. “Honestly, I thought I was going to say, ‘It’s enough.’ But that moment gave me strength.”
He said the sacrifices made by Sandeng and others held and tortured at the NIA must not be forgotten. “Their suffering, their blood, and their sweat led to our liberation,” he said, underscoring the urgency of accountability in post-Jammeh Gambia.
Darboe’s remarks came amid signs of mounting political discontent. Kanifing Mayor Talib Ahmed Bensouda, who also addressed the gathering, criticized the Barrow administration over rising inflation, weak governance, and the continued disenfranchisement of the diaspora.
“The cost of bread is now D12. That may sound small here [in the U.S.], but it’s a burden on the ordinary Gambian,” Bensouda said, also noting that diaspora remittances of nearly $800 million annually account for around 30% of the national GDP. “Yet they cannot vote. That’s unacceptable.”
Bensouda presented UDP as a party focused on service and reform, highlighting successful transformations in UDP-led councils across the country. But he emphasized that economic hardship and lack of justice remain central challenges. “UDP will deliver justice come 2026. UDP will correct this,” he said.
The remarks from Darboe and Bensouda come as President Adama Barrow is widely expected to seek a third term amid growing criticism over unfulfilled promises, especially in transitional justice and constitutional reform.
Key recommendations from the TRRC remain stalled, and two attempts at constitutional overhaul—one in 2020 and another in 2024—have failed to materialize.
With the 2026 elections approaching, opposition forces are mobilizing around accountability, economic relief, and inclusive governance. As memory of past injustices lingers and economic pressures mount, Darboe warned that Gambians cannot afford to forget the sacrifices that led to their current freedoms.
“Solo Sandeng’s death was not in vain,” he said. “His legacy must lead us forward.”
