OPINION
By Jali Kebba
They said Gambians would stay quiet.
That we would grumble at “bantabas” and on Facebook but never act. Then the youth marched.
In July 2025, thousands filled the streets under the banner of Gambians Against Looted Assets (GALA)—a grassroots movement demanding that the nation account for wealth stolen during decades of corruption and misrule. What they seek is simple: transparency, accountability, and a Gambia where stolen wealth is not quietly swept under the rug, but returned to the people it belongs to.
This moment feels bigger than just one protest. It is part of a larger story: the awakening of a generation that refuses to inherit silence.
The Silence That Cost Us
For too long, looting and mismanagement were tolerated in whispers. People saw officials enrich themselves while hospitals lacked medicine, schools crumbled, and unemployment soared. Everyone knew, but few spoke.
Former President Yahya Jammeh’s regime is remembered not only for its repression but also for monumental corruption. The Janneh Commission found that Jammeh had embezzled at least $362 million, leaving behind a trail of seized properties, companies, and funds. Some of those assets have been sold, but the process has been opaque, raising fresh suspicion instead of closing old wounds.
Silence had a cost: it normalized theft. It taught young Gambians that the clever path to success was not service but access, not hard work but connections.
But this generation is saying: No more.
From Awareness to Action
The birth of GALA is significant because it shows a shift from talk to action. These young Gambians are not just sharing posts or complaining—they are organizing, marching, and creating a unified voice against corruption. They are proving that civic engagement does not belong only to politicians or elders; it belongs to everyone.
What makes GALA striking is that it is not tied to any party. In a nation where tribal and partisan loyalties often shape activism, this movement speaks in one language: accountability. Their message is not “for or against” a leader, but for the people.
That alone makes it revolutionary.
The Cost of Courage
The marches were not without risk. At least 27 protesters and two journalists were detained, according to reports. Police responded with arrests and intimidation, a reminder that speaking truth to power can still come at a price.
Yet, as history across Africa has shown, real change rarely comes without sacrifice.
Think of the young protesters in Tunisia whose actions ignited the Arab Spring. Or the #EndSARS youth in Nigeria, who brought global attention to police brutality. Or the Rwandan youth who, after genocide, committed themselves to rebuilding their country from ashes.
Gambian youth now join that long line—demanding not charity, but justice.
The Bigger Picture: Leadership and Accountability
The fight against looted assets is about more than just money. It is about the kind of leadership we accept.
When leaders rise without preparation—as we explored last week—the cost is borne by citizens. When leaders govern without accountability, the nation itself is looted. Looted of resources. Looted of dignity. Looted of hope.
What GALA is showing is that accountability cannot be outsourced. It is not just the job of commissions, watchdog NGOs, or international partners. It is the responsibility of citizens.
In many ways, GALA is living proof of a timeless truth: nations only get the leadership they demand. If the people accept silence, corruption thrives. If the people demand accountability, even the most powerful are forced to listen.
Lessons from Elsewhere
We should not deceive ourselves—this struggle will not be easy. Corruption is deeply rooted in many African nations. Yet there are lessons to learn:
Rwanda made transparency and accountability central to its rebuilding after genocide. Leaders there face severe consequences for misusing public funds. Botswana, long celebrated for relatively clean governance, built institutions that prize accountability over personal power. Kenya and Nigeria remind us, however, that corruption fights back hard, and progress can be undone if citizens lose momentum.
The Gambia can learn from all these examples. The fight against corruption is not a sprint. It is a marathon—and the youth must prepare for a long road.
A New Civic Identity
Perhaps the most powerful thing about GALA is what it says about Gambian identity.
For too long, our politics has been divided along lines of tribe or party. But here, the youth are speaking a different language. They are not saying I am Mandinka or I am Fula or I support this party. They are saying I am Gambian, and this corruption hurts me as a Gambian.
That shift—from tribal or partisan identity to civic identity—is exactly what a small nation like ours needs. We cannot afford to be divided by old loyalties while the future is stolen before our eyes.
The Call Forward
What happens next? The government has promised to act on findings from the Janneh Commission and to review how looted assets are managed. Promises are good—but history has taught us that promises alone are not enough.
The youth must keep the pressure alive, not through violence, but through persistence. Through organizing, educating, and refusing to be silenced. Through remembering that accountability is not an event—it is a culture.
And the rest of us must decide: do we stand with them, or do we stay silent and watch corruption remain the cost of doing business in The Gambia?
Closing Reflection
Looted assets are not just numbers in a report. They are the medicines that never reached our hospitals, the textbooks missing from our schools, the jobs our youth never had, the roads left unbuilt.
By rising up, Gambian youth are reminding us of a truth we often forget: power belongs to the people. And when the people demand better, even the most entrenched corruption begins to crack.
This is no longer about the past. It is about the future.
The question is not whether assets were looted—we know they were. The question is: will we continue to let the looting define us, or will we let accountability become our new identity?
The youth have chosen their answer. It is time the rest of us follow.
