Africa-Press – Gambia. I write to express the gravest concern and unflinching condemnation of your recent public remarks, in which you confirmed that the Gambian Armed Forces have been given orders—by the Commander-in-Chief himself—to shoot and kill anyone suspected of armed robbery in border communities.
Your own words leave no room for ambiguity. You stated:
“Your order is not to negotiate. Anybody who attacks any Gambian village or shop either with a gun, cutlass or weapon and the intention is to overpower him and dispossess him of his wealth… your order is to shoot and kill.”
This is not law. This is state-sanctioned execution. It is unconstitutional, illegal, reckless, and profoundly dangerous in a democratic republic. Let us be absolutely clear: no President, no General, no Commander-in-Chief has the lawful authority to issue shoot-to-kill orders outside the bounds of due process and human rights.
Yes, the threat of armed robbery is real. We all share the fear of waking up to news that homes, shops, or entire communities have been terrorised. But we must not allow fear to drive us into lawlessness. We must not allow emotion to replace the Constitution.
This Is a Betrayal of the Republic
Such directives throw our legal system out the window and turn The Gambia into a jungle, where the rule of law is replaced with the rule of the gun. They return us to a dark era when power was exercised without accountability and lives were taken without justice.
Your speech reveals a disturbing mindset — one in which civilian security is treated as a battlefield, and soldiers are instructed to act not as protectors of the people, but as executioners. You spoke of “snapshot” decisions, of “do or die,” and even dismissed the value of training and restraint in times of crisis. This kind of language should have no place in a modern military—especially one operating in civilian communities.
If this is the new security doctrine in The Gambia, then what separates our current leadership from the dictatorship we worked so hard to dismantle?
Two Lives, Two Warnings:
We have already seen the deadly consequences of reckless military engagement:
Manjai Kunda, March 2016:
A young woman was killed after Joint—Officers shot into a taxi that failed to stop at a checkpoint. She was unarmed. She died because those tasked with protecting her resorted to lethal force where it was neither necessary nor justified. Officers could have shot at the tires. They could have coordinated a safer intercept. Instead, a life was lost, and justice has yet to be served.
Senegambia, August 2024:
Two boys, unaware they had passed a military checkpoint marked only by traffic cones, were shot at before they had a chance to stop. One was seriously wounded. Again, lethal force was used without warning, without necessity, and without any regard for human life.
These are not isolated incidents. They are symptoms of a broken security doctrine — one in which soldiers are trained to kill before thinking, to react before identifying, and to value aggression over accountability.
We Demand a Reversal!
We, the people of The Gambia, demand:
President Adama Barrow to immediately revoke the “shoot-to-kill” directive and issue a public statement affirming the sanctity of life, the rule of law, and the constitutional limits of military power.
The National Assembly to urgently summon both the President and the CDS to explain the legal basis and operational consequences of this order.
The National Human Rights Commission to launch an independent investigation into the use of force protocols currently in place, and the deaths or injuries resulting from military enforcement actions.
Civil society and the media to remain vigilant, vocal, and fearless in speaking truth to power.
We recognise the seriousness of the armed robbery crisis. But the answer to criminality is not summary execution. It is smarter policing, stronger intelligence, better training, and full adherence to the law.
We are not asking for leniency toward criminals. We are demanding justice for all — including victims, suspects, and innocent bystanders.
Never Again
This nation cannot afford a return to extrajudicial violence. Not in our streets. Not in our villages. And certainly not as official government policy.
We are watching. We are recording. And we will remember.
Never again must our soldiers be ordered to kill first and ask no questions later. Never again must a President use fear to justify bloodshed.
Sincerely,
Bubacarr Komma
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