Gambia: Authorities prohibit public political rallies January 11

Event

Gambian authorities indefinitely prohibited political activists from organizing public demonstrations and rallies on Thursday, January 11. The move, declared by the Gambian Inspector General of Police (IGP), reportedly comes after two recent clashes between suspected political supporters of President Adama Barrow (ruling United Democratic Party [UDP]) and former President Yahya Jammeh (opposition Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction [APRC]). The clashes took place in Mankamang Kunda (Upper River division) and Busumbala (West Coast region; near Banjul), according to local media sources, and left several people wounded and vehicles destroyed. Additional political clashes and a heightened security presence are expected in Banjul and elsewhere in the country ahead of the planned local elections in April.

Context

Tensions have been high in Gambia since the highly contested December 2016 elections. In January 2017, then-President Jammeh declared a three-month state of emergency, pushing thousands of Gambian residents to flee the country amid fears of violent unrest ahead of the presidential handover scheduled for January 19. Following weeks of political tensions across the country due to Jammeh's refusal to concede defeat after losing the December 2016 presidential election, he finally went into exile in Equatorial Guinea on January 21 after 22 years of being in power.

Barrow was sworn in as president of Gambia during a ceremony held in Dakar, Senegal, on January 19. Soldiers from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) entered Gambia on January 22 to facilitate Barrow's arrival in the capital Banjul.

Advice

Those present in Gambia are advised to monitor the situation, avoid politically sensitive discussions in public, avoid any demonstrations due to the risk of violence, and follow the instructions of local and home authorities.