Coalition 2026 under the leadership of Talib Bensouda has issued a statement accusing the NPP of “fueling a dangerous politics of division and fear” under President Barrow’s watch.
The statement read: “How far is President Barrow ready to go to force his third term re-election? We strongly condemn the hate speech, tribal division, and deliberate weaponisation of identity politics by officials and allies of the NPP with the silent complicity of President Adama Barrow. Seeking re-election should not be a reason to divide a nation.
“When state ministers, a National Assembly deputy, and cabinet officials speaking in the president’s presence attack Gambian citizens because of their ancestral origins and question their belonging in their own country, it is a deliberate attempt to create division and fuel hatred. Implying that some Gambians are more Gambian than others has become a pattern in the Barrow government. It is a red flag that can no longer be ignored.
“Since when have Gambians of Lebanese descent been considered less Gambian? Since when have Mandinkas, the largest ethnic group in this country become a problem in their own homeland?
“No Gambian should have to prove they are ‘Gambian enough’ because of their great-grandparents’ origins, and no Gambian of any ancestral origin should be valued only when they pump money into the economy. We cannot let the president and his allies fracture the very foundation upon which The Gambia is built for the sake of personal entrenchment in power.
“Today the target is the Mandinkas and the Lebanese-descended community. Tomorrow it will be the Fula of Guinean ancestry, the Jola of Casamance ancestry, the Wolof, the Sarahulé, the Serere, the Aku… Every tribe that has ever lived in peace and harmony in this land is prone to become a target if we do not put a stop to this bigotry now.
“We urge every civil society organisation, human rights institution, religious body, and the international community to condemn this dangerous trajectory of the Barrow government in the strongest terms.
“We urge President Barrow to be cautious. Mandinkas have a long history of defending their dignity and their place in the fabric of this nation. His new line of politics scapegoating and alienating communities for electoral gain should not be tested. Mandinkas or any other ethnic group will never be reduced to second-class citizens in their own country,” the statement concluded.
