democracy
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The Gambia stands at a precipice. Once celebrated for ending Yahya Jammeh’s 22-year dictatorship through the ballot box in 2016, the nation now risks backsliding into the very autocracy it overthrew. President Adama Barrow’s pledge to deliver a “legacy” of constitutional reform—including presidential term limits and an absolute majority voting system—rings hollow amid a cynical
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In December 2016, Gambians everywhere celebrated the end of dictator Yahya Jammeh’s 22-year rule, a victory significantly fueled by diasporic activism, funding, and digital mobilization. Today, that same diaspora feels betrayed. In March 2025, Gambia’s National Assembly rejected a clause granting voting rights to citizens abroad, dismissing their constitutional claims and immense contributions. This decision
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BANJUL, The Gambia —Threat to The Gambia’s democratic progress isn’t a coup or foreign meddling, but failure of the nation’s brightest minds abandoning or being uninterested in elected office. This behavior is paralyzing institutions, hollowing governance, and endangering Africa’s smallest mainland nation. The National Assembly – the engine of legislative reform – badly underrepresents The
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In 2016, Gambians achieved the remarkable: they ousted a dictator, Yahya Jammeh, through the power of the vote after 22 years of repression. His departure, fueled by promises to rule for “a billion years” and bizarre claims like an AIDS cure, shone as a beacon for African democracy. Yet a decade later, The Gambia’s democratic
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BANJUL, The Gambia — Eight years ago, this small West African nation celebrated a democratic miracle. After 22 years of Yahya Jammeh’s brutal dictatorship, citizens voted him out of office. The euphoric aftermath promised not just new leadership but a rebirth: a new constitution to dismantle the architecture of tyranny and build institutions resilient against
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The Gambia, West Africa’s smallest nation, is celebrated for its stunning beaches, rich birdlife, and remarkable 2017 democratic transition. Yet, beneath this hopeful surface lurks an insidious force crippling its economic potential: “teri kafos.” This Mandinka term, translating to “eating alone by a club of friends,” encapsulates a pervasive culture of corruption, patronage, and self-enrichment by those
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In 2016, The Gambia emerged as an unlikely beacon of hope when a fragile coalition of opposition parties toppled dictator Yahya Jammeh, ending his 22-year reign of terror. The victory of Adama Barrow, a businessman turned unity candidate, was hailed as a triumph for democracy in a region increasingly besieged by coups and autocrats. Yet
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