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As The Gambia prepares for the December 5 presidential election, UDP leader Ousainou Darboe has appealed to Gambians to place their trust in his leadership, pledging to serve the nation with honesty, transparency, and dedication if elected. UDP Leader, Lawyer Ousainou Darboe In a message addressed to the nation on his Facebook page, Darboe said he is seeking the presidency not for personal gain, but to serve the people and help address the challenges facing the country. “I se

The State House in Banjul was awash with red and white as Gambian President Adama Barrow hosted a special celebration for Arsenal supporters following the club’s historic English Premier League triumph. A passionate Arsenal fan himself, President Barrow organised a buffet reception for fellow Gunners supporters to mark Arsenal’s first league title in 22 years. The event attracted scores of fans, many of whom arrived dressed in Arsenal replica jerseys, scarves, and club colour

With due respect to Mayor Talib, I disagree with the assertion that the selection of a coalition flagbearer should completely disregard the size and strength of the constituent political parties. UMC Leader Talib Bensouda Any coalition built on mutual respect, fairness, and political reality cannot ignore the support base that each party brings to the table. It would be difficult to justify asking a party with over 200,000 supporters and a nationwide structure to join a coali

The people of Gunjur, and indeed much of the Kombo region, continue to endure daily power outages with no clear end in sight. Residents in Gunjur received barely one hour of electricity yesterday and just two hours today. Such a situation is unacceptable and unsustainable in the 21st century. At a government press conference earlier today, officials from NAWEC attributed the ongoing power crisis to “maintenance works on domestic power generation facilities” and “procurement b

The Gunjur Ward Development Committee (WDC) has provided a significant boost to sports development in the community by donating D250,000 to the Gunjur Sports Committee (GSC) towards the completion of dressing rooms at the Nyamina Football Field. The funding forms part of the 2026 Ward Development Allocation of D1 million disbursed by the WDC to support priority development projects across Gunjur Ward. According to an official dispatch issued by Ward Councillor Hon. Momodou Ch

NAWEC May Cost A Government Failure — Prince Ebrahim Sanyang Warns Gambia | Tuesday 26 May 2026 Prominent Gambian development economist and international structured finance expert, Prince Ebrahim Sanyang, has warned that the worsening crisis at NAWEC poses a serious economic and political risk to the government if urgent reforms are not undertaken. Prince Ebrahim Sanyang In a strongly worded statement, Sanyang highlighted persistent nationwide power outages, poor infrastructu

By Musa Bassadi Jawara | Economist & Author | Bintou’s Point, Kerewan 𝐎𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐋𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐇𝐢𝐬 𝐄𝐱𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐁𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐫𝐨𝐮 𝐃𝐢𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐲𝐞 𝐃𝐢𝐚𝐤𝐡𝐚𝐫 𝐅𝐚𝐲𝐞 President of the Republic of Senegal Palais de la République Dakar, Senegal 24 May 2026 Dear Mr. President, The rupture between you and Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko has wounded you both to near mortality. But it is Senegal and the Senegalese people who will bleed in Himalayan pro

The recent assertion that the APRC government under former President Yahya Jammeh merely “faked” development projects to attract votes is not only unfortunate, but also deeply insulting to the intelligence and lived experiences of Gambians. No well-meaning citizen can simply ignore such reckless statements. It appears the President is either desperately struggling to communicate a convincing message to the Gambian people or deliberately attempting to mislead and manipulate th

The PASTEF Rupture and a Nation in Peril By Musa Bassadi Jawara I. PREAMBLE — ON VINDICATION Before the March 2024 elections, I wrote a sober, measured piece. One line only said Amadou Ba had the institutional edge. For that single sentence, PASTEF’s digital militia descended. I was called a liar, a relic, a mercenary of the old order. They mocked, doxxed, and damned. My inboxes overflowed with venom. My analysis, built on 30 years of watching Dakar politics, was dismissed as

By Musa Bassadi Jawara Mr. Tambadou, you forwarded your “Open Letter to Mustapha K. Darboe” dated May 18, 2026 to me directly. In the spirit of transparency and public accountability, I respond. The nation is entitled to more than one voice when matters of justice, reputation, and public trust collide. This is that response — professional, academic, and unflinching. The issues you raised in your letter, in their entirety, are presented as conclusions of fact. With respect, th

A decade after Golden Lead established its fishmeal factory in Gunjur, an important question continues to echo across the community: what has Gunjur truly gained in return? When the factory began operations, expectations were high. There were hopes of major developments that would transform the coastal settlement — improved infrastructure such as the Gunjur beach road, a fish market, employment opportunities for local youths and meaningful corporate social responsibility init

By Dave Manneh Securing Futures: Land Rights Action Collaborative (SFLRAC) One year ago, I wrote "Beyond Jammeh's Shadow: Elite Capture, Land Dispossession, and State Assets Underselling in the Supposed New Gambia." That piece argued that Mustapha K. Darboe's investigation in The Republic exposed more than a scandal over stolen luxury goods. It mapped a system that moves public and communal wealth into the hands of a connected elite, the same elite that flourished under Yahya

Former Gambian Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Abubacarr Marie Tambadou, popularly known as “Ba Tambadou,” has demanded a public apology from investigative journalist Mustapha K. Darboe over what he described as “false and defamatory” claims published by The Republic in April 2025 regarding the disposal of assets linked to former President Yahya Jammeh. In a lengthy open letter dated 18 May 2026, Tambadou accused Darboe and The Republic of publishing allegations tha

By Musa Bassadi Jawara | Bintou’s Point, Kerewan Since the death of Honorable Mbemba Jatta’s passing on Monday, I took time today to visit with the family in Gunjur. I’ve not been in Gunjur for over a decade, and the earth under my feet remembered me before I remembered the turns. The remains of the late Hon. Mbemba Jatta will be laid to rest at the Gunjur central cemetery on Saturday, 16th May 2026 I wanted to take time and travel to Gunjur this Wednesday May 13 and visit wi

A Response Essay | What Did the Workshop Actually Validate? | By Dave Manneh, Securing Futures: Land Rights Action Collaborative (SFLRAC) On 12 April 2026, What If We Stop Performing the Lie? (the third essay in The Architecture of Predation trilogy) asked what happens when communities refuse the performance the state requires. Seventeen days later, the NaNA Conference Hall offered not an answer but an illustration. The architecture, dressed in the language of reform, had l

The recent engagement between the Association of Gambian Influencers (AGI) and the Online Media Association of The Gambia (GOMA) comes at a critical moment in the country’s media evolution. As discussions intensify around the proposed Broadcasting and Online Content Regulations 2026, one issue stands clearly at the center of national debate: how The Gambia can balance regulation, freedom, and economic opportunity in a rapidly digitising world. This conversation is not happeni

By Dave Manneh, Securing Futures: Land Rights Action Collaborative (SFLRAC) | 13/04/2026 In December, I described the Gambian state as predatory by design, built to break us. In February, I exposed its survival mechanism: ritual compliance. Citizens perform legitimacy daily without knowing it. Both pieces asked diagnostic questions. This piece asks the necessary third. If the architecture depends on our performance, what happens when we stop feeding it? Three Refusals That S

By Maa Touray | Why Seeking a Third Term Could Be President Adama Barrow’s Worst Political Decision President Barrow is bidding fo a third term as PORG and second under the NPP | Photo credit: State House A decision by President Adama Barrow to seek a third presidential term may prove to be the most consequential political decision of his political career. At first glance, such a claim may appear exaggerated. After all, the president currently enjoys political advantages and

The persistent shortage of electricity in Gunjur is not just a local problem, it is increasingly tied to global events. The ongoing conflict involving the United States, Israel, and Iran have contributed to rising fuel prices worldwide. With Iran controlling and shutting the Strait of Hormuz, a critical route through which nearly 20% of the world’s fuel supply passes daily, the ripple effects are being felt even in small communities like ours. Drivers in Gunjur are increasing

COALITION BUILDING – A Vindication of My Position By Hon Momodou Charreh Gibba Elections are not a single event, but a continuous process that unfolds across an entire electoral cycle. One of the most critical stages in this process is voter registration, which lays the foundation for a free, fair, and credible election. Hon. Momodou Charreh Gibba My position on coalition building ahead of the 2026 presidential election remains firm and unchanged. While some may view my stanc