10 YEARS OF BARROW IS ENOUGH: Never Again means no leader without limits. Not Jammeh. Not Barrow. Not anyone.

By Capt. (Rtd.) Ebou Jallow

This is not about hating Barrow or the NPP. Many of us celebrated his victory in 2016. It’s about whether ANY Gambian leader should rule without limits. We removed one president who had no term limits. Ten years later, we still have no protection against the next one. So, what went wrong with Barrow’s government since 2016…?

1. The broken promise: Barrow promised three years. He abandoned that pledge, removed Darboe as vice-president, and formed his own party. A third term would mean 15 years in power.

2. Still no term limits: The 2020 draft constitution would have limited presidents to two terms. It was rejected. Later drafts also failed. Ten years after Jammeh, we still live under Jammeh’s 1997 Constitution, with no term limits and a president with sweeping powers.

3. Protesters silenced:

(A) Three Years Jotna (2020): the movement asking Barrow to keep his word was banned, and two radio stations were shut down.

(B) Faraba Banta (2018): police killed protesters. The trial was later discontinued.

(C) GALA (2025–26): young people protesting the sale of Jammeh’s assets faced mass arrests. Fifteen more were arrested at the movement’s anniversary in May 2026, despite having a permit.

4. What happened to Jammeh’s assets? Those assets were supposed to return stolen wealth to the Gambian people and help victims. A 324-page National Assembly report (March 2026) raised serious concerns, according to civil society summaries:

A. Irregular sales of livestock

B. Undervalued aircraft

C. A receiver appointed without competition

D. Large discrepancies in recovered funds

5. Alliance with Jammeh’s party: In 2021, the NPP allied with a faction of the APRC. For many victims, this weakened faith in justice. The Special Tribunal is moving slowly, and the Bar Association has urged the government to speed it up.

6. Families are struggling:

(i) Inflation hit 18.5% in 2023. It has fallen, but the IMF warns pressures are returning.

(ii) Public debt is about 79% of GDP. Who will pay it back? Our children.

(iii) Electricity problems continue.

(iv) Food prices remain painful to Gambian families.

7. Our children: A. In 2022, around 70 children died after taking contaminated cough syrup, a tragic failure of regulation. B. Young Gambians still risk their lives on the back way, because they’ve lost hope of a future at home.

8. A contested Chief Justice, months before the election: In July 2026, Barrow swore in a new Chief Justice whose qualifications the Gambia Bar Association has challenged in the Supreme Court. That is the court that would decide any election dispute.

WHY NOT A THIRD TERM?

– Barrow promised us 3 years. He’s now asking for 15 and more! A broken promise on power should not be rewarded with more power.

– No term limits = no ceiling. His allies say any future limit should “reset” the count. A third term could become a fourth and a fifth.

– The pattern is clear: promise broken  reform blocked  opposition drained by defections  protesters arrested  contested Chief Justice. Each step may be legal. Together, they concentrate power.

– Victims are still waiting. Nearly ten years on, Jammeh’s victims have not seen justice delivered.

– Public wealth needs protection. Ten years in, serious questions remain about how recovered assets were handled.

– Roads don’t fill empty pots at home. Development must reach households, not just highways.

– A second peaceful transfer of power would show the world that our democracy rests on institutions, not one man.

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