Explainer: Understanding the U.S. Partial Visa Ban on The Gambia
Starting January 2026, key U.S. visas for Gambians student, work, tourism, exchange face restrictions. Already in the U.S.? You’re safe. Planning to go? Here’s what you need to know.
Explainer: Why Gambians Keep Faith in the Marble Voting System
Kaddy Jawo2025-12-24T14:59:55+00:00In The Gambia, voters cast their ballots with marbles. A glass marble dropped into a drum rings a bell, confirming the vote. Simple, transparent, and trusted for decades, this unique system ensures everyone can participate and has become a symbol of Gambian democracy.
Explainer: Why the Diaspora Cannot Vote in The Gambia
Kaddy Jawo2025-12-24T14:29:43+00:00Despite constitutional guarantees, Gambians living abroad cannot vote due to constituency-based registration rules. In 2025, Parliament rejected a clause enabling diaspora voting, and practical mechanisms remain unimplemented even though diaspora remittances make up over 30% of GDP. The debate over overseas enfranchisement continues.
Explainer: The Unite Movement for Change Is Not a Registered Political Party
Kaddy Jawo2025-11-04T17:52:39+00:00The Unite Movement for Change is not yet a political party, despite public perception and social media discussions suggesting otherwise.
Explainer: How the Ministry of Youth and Sports Violated The Gambia’s Procurement Law
Kaddy Jawo2025-10-06T16:18:43+00:00Malagen finds that the Ministry of Youth and Sports flouted procurement laws by awarding over D245 million in stadium contracts without open tender. The breach, revealed in the 2023 audit report, exposes serious lapses in transparency and accountability.
Explainer: How a Police Patrol in Mandinary Turned into Tragedy
Kaddy Jawo2025-09-27T17:44:02+00:00His death comes amid a string of violent clashes between security forces and civilians despite the government’s post-2017 “Never Again” promise and stalled security sector reforms.
UDP Always Followed One Man. The Long Queue for His Seat Is Thinning. Here’s What to Know
Kaddy Jawo2025-09-06T21:44:42+00:00From a rising young mayor to longtime loyalists - and even a handful of little-known party figures with outsized ambition, Mr. Darboe’s decades-long grip on the United Democratic Party was facing what looked like a rare test. Until the most serious threat backed away.
Explainer: The Gambia’s High-Profile FGM Case and Infant Death
Kaddy Jawo2025-08-14T18:05:16+00:00What Happened? On August 10, 2025, the parents of a one-month-old infant rushed her to Bundung Maternal and Child Health Hospital after she suffered severe complications. Medical staff pronounced the baby dead upon arrival. Authorities later confirmed that the infant had undergone female genital mutilation (FGM), prompting a police investigation. Arrests and Charges The Gambia Police Force initially detained two suspects before charging three women under the Women’s (Amendment) Act, 2015, which criminalizes FGM. The accused include: Fatou Camara, the alleged cutter (Ngansingba), charged under Section 32A (Prohibition of Female Circumcision), which carries a possible life sentence. She has been remanded in custody. The mother of the deceased and a paternal aunt, also facing charges as accomplices but granted bail. The infant’s body...
Explainer: Can NPP Keep Seat Against Opposition Alliance in Half-Die Vote
Kaddy Jawo2025-04-25T19:51:34+00:00The contest in Banjul on Saturday between recent former allies, the ruling coalition and a former ruling party backed by the opposition, promises to be a hard-fought battle - a symbolic test of political strength with a year and a half until the presidential election. Kaddy JawoKaddy Jawo heads Malagen's media monitoring and factchecking desk. She is also an investigative reporter. When the United Democratic Party (UDP) defeated its arch-rival, the ruling National People's Party (NPP) in the Kiang Masembeh by-election, its officials declared the victory a sign of what could happen in the 2026 presidential election. Yet the main opposition...
Explainer: Why Is the IEC Holding a By-Election in Banjul Half-Die Ward?
Kaddy Jawo2025-04-25T17:52:07+00:00The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) of The Gambia is holding a by-election in Banjul’s Half-Die Ward following the unexpected vacancy of the councillor position. The seat became vacant after Momodou Bah, the former councillor under the National People's Party (NPP), reportedly abandoned his post during an official visit to Belgium. The trip was part of efforts to strengthen the sister-city partnership between Banjul City Council and Ostend City Council. Bah’s prolonged absence, without any formal excuse or return to duty, prompted the IEC to invoke Section 23 of the Local Government Act and declare the seat vacant. A by-election has now...