Gambiaj.com – (Banjul, The Gambia) – Key political and civil society figures in The Gambia have thrown their weight behind a major anti-corruption protest set to take place tomorrow at Westfield, in what is shaping up to be one of the most unified public demonstrations against graft in recent years.
The protest, spearheaded by the civil society group Gambians Against Looted Assets (GALA), has gained wide support from influential voices, including Kanifing Municipality Mayor Talib Bensouda, Brikama Area Council Chairman Yankuba Darboe, and leading anti-corruption activists such as Marr Nyang and Madi Jobarteh.
Mayor Bensouda, in a brief but pointed message posted on his Facebook page, declared, “I AM GALA! Every office must answer to the people. A better future for The Gambia starts with accountable leaders.”
While the mayor’s statement underscored his moral alignment with the protest’s goals, it stopped short of confirming whether he would be physically present at the demonstration.
Chairman Yankuba Darboe also publicly endorsed the protest but, like Bensouda, remained noncommittal about his attendance.
Darboe has recently courted national controversy for his confrontational rhetoric on governance issues, which has fueled both admiration and alarm.
Meanwhile, Marr Nyang, the CEO of The Gambia Participates and a well-known figure in the country’s fight against corruption, issued a stern warning against complacency: “Corruption steals our future, and silence is not an option.”
He and activist Madi Jobarteh, who is known for his persistent civic engagement, have amplified the protest’s core message that accountability must be enforced across all sectors of public administration.
GALA’s protest is rooted in a string of high-profile scandals that have shaken public trust in government institutions.
These include the 2025 Russian Oil Scandal, malpractices exposed in National Audit Office reports (2017–2020), the Gambia Tourism Board Staff Petition validated by the National Assembly in 2023, and the Gambia Ports Authority corruption report, among others.
Protesters are calling for the government to act decisively on the findings of these reports, many of which have sat unaddressed despite extensive public demand.
In a significant development, unlike a previous attempt to mobilize in May, GALA has received a permit from the Gambia Police Force to hold tomorrow’s demonstration — an indication that the authorities are willing to tolerate, if not engage with, mounting public pressure.
Analysts say this growing movement signals a tipping point in Gambian civil society’s demand for reform.
While public figures have traditionally been cautious in endorsing street-level protest, the recent chorus of support from elected officials, activists, and watchdog organizations suggests a broadening coalition determined to make corruption a central issue ahead of the 2026 electoral cycle.
Still, the effectiveness of this protest will hinge not just on turnout, but on whether it can prompt tangible responses from the Barrow administration — which has often pledged reform but struggled to implement meaningful anti-corruption measures.
As the protest nears, all eyes are on Westfield, where citizens plan to gather not just in defiance, but in demand of transparency, justice, and accountability.
