Gambia Bans Unpermitted Protests After Power-Cut Unrest

Gambia's inspector general of police, Seedy Mukhtar Touray, has said no protests will be permitted without official approval, following several nights of unrest over prolonged electricity cuts in the West African country.

In a statement issued late Thursday, Touray warned that any gathering held without a permit would be met with force. "From this very moment, nobody is allowed to protest without an approved permit," he said, adding that people should not converge or disturb public order, particularly at night.

Earlier in the week, police used tear gas to break up crowds that had gathered to complain about power shortages during the hottest months of the year. The demonstrations underscored public frustration with President Adama Barrow ahead of elections in December.

According to Touray, a police post was vandalised during the unrest and detainees were unlawfully released from custody. The national utility, the National Water and Electricity Company (NAWEC), said it shut three branches after attacks caused severe damage to buildings, infrastructure and office equipment. Touray said 11 people have been arrested in connection with the vandalism.

NAWEC had said in a statement on August 15 that it was dealing with an unexpected surge in demand during peak hours, which it linked to high temperatures.

Barrow visited NAWEC facilities on Tuesday morning and pledged that new generators would arrive within the week and that electricity supply would be restored by the end of October. He said the government was in the final stage of installing an additional 24-megawatt generation unit and had awarded a contract for a 50-megawatt solar plant.

Talib Ahmed Bensouda, mayor of Kanifing Municipality and a candidate planning to challenge Barrow in December, said he understood the protesters' anger. "If you can't sit in your house because of the heat. If you don't have [a generator] to do basic business or even to carry out informal activities… you're forced to take the matter to the streets," he said, while stressing that he did not support the unrest.

Bensouda criticised the government's heavy reliance on imported energy, saying it left the country vulnerable to global supply disruptions. "Youths are frustrated, and I think not just about energy, they're frustrated about a lot of things," he said, pointing to a lack of opportunity that he said was driving irregular migration to Europe.