The Civic Scribe: Articles & Poems

Banjul, The Gambia — The sun still sets beautifully over the Atlantic, painting the beaches in gold and crimson. Tourists sip cocktails in oceanfront resorts. But beyond the hotel gates, a dangerous transformation is underway. The Gambia, long celebrated as West Africa’s “Smiling Coast” and a bastion of stability, is being strangled by a surge in violent crime while its government looks the other way.

A single, horrifying three-week period this January illustrates the crisis: gunmen stormed an Access Bank branch in Brusubi, escaping with cash as customers cowered. Robbers attacked a GNPC fuel station in Farafenni, firing on police. A local shop in Njau Sawalo was ransacked, and a Western Union bureau in Kunkujang was hit. Six major violent incidents were meticulously reported by police, yet met with stunning inertia from the state.

This is not isolated lawlessness; it is a systemic collapse:

1. Gangs Operating with Impunity: Police reports describe “robbery gangs” launching coordinated attacks, injuring victims and traumatizing communities. Arrests are rare; perpetrators often remain at large, emboldened by their freedom. The brazen attack on the GNPC station, involving direct fire on police, underscores their audacity and firepower.
2. A Torrent of Violence: The statistics are chilling: multiple armed robberies targeting businesses, banks, and citizens within the first weeks of 2025 alone. As the opposition United Democratic Party (UDP) warns, without urgent intervention, violent crime will increase exponentially, putting more lives and livelihoods at risk.
3. The Human Cost: This violence leaves victims injured, businesses ruined, and communities living in fear. Tragically, two young police officers murdered in the line of duty join the growing list of casualties, their cases unresolved – a devastating blow to morale and a grim symbol of the state’s failure to protect even its own defenders.

The Roots of the Rot are Glaringly Obvious:
The crisis stems from a crippling combination of worsening economic conditions, high youth unemployment, rampant hard drug abuse, and the proliferation of firearms. Desperate, idle youth, armed and fueled by narcotics, are easy recruits for criminal gangs, turning petty theft into deadly armed robbery.

Where is the Government? AWOL.
While police officers demonstrate commendable courage responding to attacks, their efforts are reactive, arriving after the crime is committed. The proactive response needed to dismantle networks and address root causes must come from the government. Yet, President Adama Barrow’s administration remains disturbingly detached.

• Denial and Deflection: Instead of acknowledging the crisis, the UDP accuses the government of equivocation, deflecting, politicizing, or minimizing citizens’ security concerns, mirroring past dismissals of public fears.
• Reform Stalled: A critical, long-overdue Security Sector Reform languishes due to a profound lack of political will. Without modernized, adequately resourced, and intelligently deployed security forces, police fight a losing battle against increasingly sophisticated gangs.
• Sacred Duty Abandoned: The government’s primary duty is to protect citizens’ lives and property. By this measure, the Barrow government is failing catastrophically. Its detachment from the everyday realities of Gambians is not just negligence; it is a betrayal.

The Stakes: More Than Just a Tourist Image
The Gambia’s cherished reputation as a peaceful tourist destination is eroding. But consequences run deeper: pervasive insecurity stifles economic activity, deters investment, fuels an exodus of skilled Gambians, erodes social cohesion, and undermines trust in institutions. Left unchecked, The Gambia risks becoming a cautionary tale of a fragile democracy succumbing to criminal anarchy.

A Path Back from the Brink (Requires Actual Leadership):
The UDP’s call for the state to acknowledge the problem, recognize the urgency, and act accordingly is the bare minimum starting point. Concrete actions must follow:

1. Embrace the Emergency: Declare the violent crime surge a national security priority. Allocate substantial emergency funding for police equipment, training, intelligence, and forensics.
2. Finally Deliver Security Sector Reform: Implement long-promised reforms with genuine commitment, focusing on community policing, anti-gang units, and combating illicit weapons and drug trafficking. International support is welcome, but Gambian political will is essential.
3. Address the Tinderbox: Launch urgent economic interventions and youth employment programs. Crack down hard on the drug networks fueling gang violence. Policing alone will fail without tackling these root causes.
4. Restore Trust: Communicate transparently and consistently with the public about the threat and actions being taken. Stop dismissing citizen fears as political maneuvering.

The Gambia stands at a precipice. The “Smiling Coast” cannot survive if its people live in fear, businesses are looted at gunpoint, and police are gunned down with impunity. The Barrow administration’s continued inaction isn’t just apathy; it is complicity in the unraveling of a nation. The world must amplify the call for urgent action before this once-peaceful haven descends further into chaos. The time for excuses is over; the time to secure The Gambia is now.