Gambiaj.com – (Banjul, The Gambia) – Despite assurances from the police of an imminent release of those arrested during Wednesday’s Banjul protest, frustration among Gambian youths continues to intensify, with the protest epicenter at Westfield now inspiring spontaneous solidarity demonstrations as far as Brikama.

The scene at Westfield Roundabout on Saturday remained tense and charged. Young people gathered in large numbers from early morning, staging a sit-in that brought traffic to a standstill. The protesters, many of them visibly energized but peaceful, lay across the street in defiance, chanting slogans like “Power to the people, people’s power!” and at times blocking police vehicles by hurling water bottles in their path.

The protests, which began earlier this week, are rooted in demands for transparency and accountability from the government regarding the seized assets of former president Yahya Jammeh.

But the immediate trigger for the continued mobilization has been the arrest of youths who attempted to march to the Ministry of Justice on Wednesday to submit a petition on the issue.

Gambians Against Looted Assets (GALA), which is believed to be one of the driving forces behind the mobilization, has stated that the standoff at Westfield stems from a breakdown in negotiations between protester delegates and state authorities.

While the youths had demanded the unconditional release of those arrested and official approval to proceed with the protest march, the authorities reportedly offered only conditional release on bail and have been non-committal on granting a permit for the march to Banjul.

That vagueness has only hardened the youths’ resolve.

“The police keep saying they will release our brothers, but no one believes them anymore until we see them walk out free with our own eyes,” said one protester at Westfield. “We are tired of empty promises.”

Meanwhile, the energy of resistance has spread beyond the capital region. In Brikama, dozens of youths took to the streets in spontaneous solidarity, demanding not only the release of their peers but also the government’s approval for a peaceful protest.

Their primary demand mirrors that of the Westfield demonstrators: the full disclosure of Yahya Jammeh’s seized assets, including the names of individuals and entities that have bought or taken control of those assets since the former dictator’s fall.

The protests reflect a growing generational demand for transparency and justice in The Gambia’s transitional process, particularly among the youth who feel excluded from decision-making and frustrated by what they perceive as a lack of accountability for past crimes and current governance shortcomings.

The pressure on the Barrow administration is mounting. While previous demonstrations over transitional justice, land rights, and police conduct have flared up intermittently over the past few years, this latest protest appears more sustained and determined.

With GALA leadership and other grassroots youth groups continuing to organize, calls are also growing for civil society organizations and opposition parties to support the youth’s demand for democratic participation and transparency.

As night falls, the stand-off at Westfield shows no sign of easing, and Brikama’s youth have now added a new front to what is quickly becoming one of the most coordinated and defiant protest movements seen in The Gambia since the fall of Jammeh.

Whether the government will yield to their demands or escalate the standoff remains to be seen. But what is clear is that a new generation is claiming its space—loudly, forcefully, and with no intention of backing down.