The Gambia Police Force has arrested 15 anti-corruption activists from the group Gambians Against Looted Assets (GALA) on Friday, May 8, 2026, after they gathered inside the Youth Monument at Westfield to mark GALA’s one-year anniversary after securing an official permit from the Kanifing Municipal Council (KMC), the custodians of the monument.
GALA, a pressure group formed in May 2025 to demand transparency into the assets of former dictator Yahya Jammeh, gathered at the Youth Monument around midday to celebrate its anniversary. During the event, only a few GALA members were able to access the venue, as the majority were locked out by the Police Intervention Unit, a crowd-control team, who blocked the Monument’s entrance and detained activists, claiming the group did not have a police permit.
Six executive members of the group were initially arrested, including spokesperson Omar Camara, National Coordinator Hakeem Touray, Abdoulie T. Bah, Kaddy Kuyateh, Kemeseng Sanneh, and Omar Sanyang. On May 9, 2026, the group later announced that an additional eight members had been arrested, bringing the total to 12.
However, during a press conference at the National Youth Parliament premises, they revealed that 15 members had been detained. Of these, 12 individuals are being held at Kairaba Police Station, while three are at Kotu Police Station, also known as “Bambadinka.”
The Youth Monument is managed by the Kanifing Municipal Council, and it’s been said that the venue has been rented out for more than 20 events in 2026, including state institutions, without requiring police permits.
Concerns were raised by an environmental activist and GALA member, Kemo Fatty, about the conditions of detention, particularly regarding overcrowding and inadequate access to basic necessities, especially for female detainees. “Females among these arrested are there. Some of them have been denied basic sanitary equipment like pads. Family members have been denied visitation rights,” he said.
GALA has also recently put The Gambia Police Force under increasing pressure over the killing of two police officers in September 2023 by an unknown gunman with the hashtag #WhoKilledTheCops. Some of their members are blocked from commenting on the GPF Facebook page.
The Gambia’s National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has raised concerns over the arrests and announced that it is investigating in a brief statement. Lamin S. Camara, a human rights lawyer, has also denounced the arrests. Camara said permits from the police are not required to hold an event in an enclosed venue like the Youth Monument.
The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) condemns the arrest of members of Gambians Against Looted Assets (GALA), who were peacefully marking the first anniversary of their anti-corruption movement. The arrests represent an unjustified restriction on the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, and raise concerns about the use of police powers to suppress legitimate civic activism. The MFWA calls on the Gambian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release all detained activists and ensure that citizens can exercise their constitutional rights without intimidation.
