Gambiaj.com – (KANIFING, The Gambia) – A protest organized by Gambians Against Looted Assets (GALA) has been officially cleared by the Gambia Police Force, paving the way for a rare but symbolic public demonstration against alleged high-level corruption and growing impunity within President Adama Barrow’s government.
The peaceful protest, scheduled for Tuesday, July 23, will begin at 11:00 a.m. at Iceman Junction in Kanifing and end at the Youth Monument in Westfield, concluding by 1:30 p.m.
The police permit—signed by Assistant Inspector General of Police Pateh Jallow—comes with strict conditions, including route limitations, restrictions on the size of the petition delegation, and a ban on inflammatory language.
A Protest Rooted in Frustration
In its initial announcement, GALA described the protest as a response to a deepening crisis of governance marked by “corruption scandals, financial mismanagement, and gross inefficiencies.”
According to the group, these issues persist despite “repeated audit reports, parliamentary and presidential inquiries, investigative journalism reports, and whistleblower accounts.”
GALA argues that justice and accountability have remained largely symbolic in The Gambia since the transition from Yahya Jammeh’s regime in 2016.
Instead of reform, the group asserts, the Barrow administration has presided over a system that has normalized impunity and undermined public trust in democracy.
“The erosion of democratic values and betrayal of the hopes ushered in by the 2016 political transition must not go unchallenged,” GALA said in its public statement.
Strict Conditions Reflect Government Sensitivities
The permit issued by the Gambia Police Force illustrates both a willingness to allow peaceful dissent and a wariness of potential disruption.
Protesters must adhere strictly to the designated route and timeframe. A five-person limit has been imposed for the delegation handing over petitions, and media briefings are restricted to the area directly in front of the Youth Monument, opposite St. Therese’s Church.
Importantly, police authorities warned that “failure to comply with these conditions will result in the revocation of the permit and/or criminal prosecution.” The CP Kanifing Region has been instructed to deploy security personnel to maintain order during the protest.
This level of conditionality is not unusual in The Gambia’s fragile democracy, but critics say it reflects a broader tension between citizens’ constitutional rights and the state’s instinct for control.
Testing the Boundaries of Civic Engagement
The upcoming protest marks a notable moment in civil society’s efforts to hold the government accountable. While GALA’s registration as a legal entity has faced bureaucratic obstacles—an issue the group attributes to political interference—its persistence in organizing public demonstrations signals a growing frustration among reform-minded Gambians.
Observers will be watching closely to see whether the protest proceeds peacefully and whether the government responds substantively to the group’s grievances.
For many citizens, this protest is not just about corruption—it is a litmus test of the government’s tolerance for dissent and the vitality of The Gambia’s democratic transition.
With political disillusionment deepening and calls for accountability mounting, July 23 may well prove to be a pivotal day in the reawakening of civic resistance in The Gambia.
