{"id":81892,"date":"2025-07-12T07:04:21","date_gmt":"2025-07-12T07:04:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/uncategorized\/gala-warns-of-escalation-after-government-registration-rejection"},"modified":"2025-07-12T07:52:26","modified_gmt":"2025-07-12T07:52:26","slug":"gala-warns-of-escalation-after-government-registration-rejection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/gala-warns-of-escalation-after-government-registration-rejection","title":{"rendered":"GALA Warns of Escalation after Government Registration Rejection"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Gambia. <\/strong><\/span>The activist group Gambians Against Looted Assets (GALA) has issued a stern warning of possible severe consequences after accusing the Government of The Gambia of obstructing its formal registration as a legal association.<\/b><\/p>\n

In a press release issued this week, GALA alleged that officials at the Attorney General\u2019s Chambers\u2014specifically Registrar Marie Gomes\u2014acted in concert with state authorities to block the group\u2019s registration, despite its full compliance with legal requirements.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet it be known that we were trying to exist as a legal entity in order to pursue diplomatic means to solving problems, but it is clear that this Government does not understand any other language except protests. This time, the consequences could be severe because GALA is going to exist, with or without the state\u2019s approval,\u201d the group stated.<\/p>\n

GALA reported that, despite meeting all the formal requirements for registering an association, their application was rejected.<\/p>\n

The group further stated that they were verbally informed that the registration was denied because the association\u2019s name includes the word \u201cGambians.\u201d<\/p>\n

GALA stated that it had drawn the authorities\u2019 attention to the law, which prohibits and restricts the use of the name \u201cThe Gambia\u201d\u2014not \u201cGambians.\u201d The organization also made it explicitly clear that it neither seeks nor intends to benefit from any government patronage. \u201cThey still disregarded the law blatantly and insisted on not having us registered,\u201d the group said.<\/p>\n

GALA cited Section 25 of the 1997 Constitution, which guarantees the right to freedom of association, arguing that the government\u2019s refusal represents a direct violation of that constitutional protection.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is important to note that as per Section 25 of the 1997 Constitution of The Gambia and other related laws, it is our fundamental right to form and establish an association, and by doing so, we deemed it necessary to follow the due process and fulfilled the requirements accordingly,\u201d GALA noted in its press release.<\/p>\n

Framing itself as a grassroots, citizen-led movement, GALA described its mission as a fight against corruption and a call for transparency and accountability in public life\u2014efforts, it said, that are rooted in democratic principles and the rule of law.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo every genuine individual or body should contribute their quota and act in good faith to support our creation. Stop playing with Gambians. The law should be applied equally to all, and yes, \u201cBe you ever so high, the law is above you,\u201d GALA\u2019s release stated.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Gambia<\/span> Follow Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Gambia. The activist group Gambians Against Looted Assets (GALA) has issued a stern warning of possible severe consequences after accusing the Government of The Gambia of obstructing its formal registration as a legal association. In a press release issued this week, GALA alleged that officials at the Attorney General\u2019s Chambers\u2014specifically Registrar Marie Gomes\u2014acted […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":81891,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,7,12],"tags":[260],"class_list":["post-81892","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-head-lines","category-policy","tag-gambia"],"yoast_head":"\nGALA Warns of Escalation after Government Registration Rejection - Gambia<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The activist group Gambians Against Looted Assets (GALA) has issued a stern warning of possible severe consequences a ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/gala-warns-of-escalation-after-government-registration-rejection\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"GALA Warns of Escalation after Government Registration Rejection\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The activist group Gambians Against Looted Assets (GALA) has issued a stern warning of possible severe consequences a ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/gala-warns-of-escalation-after-government-registration-rejection\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Gambia\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-07-12T07:04:21+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-07-12T07:52:26+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/gambia\/sites\/19\/2025\/07\/sm_1752294026.822959.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"768\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/gala-warns-of-escalation-after-government-registration-rejection#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/gala-warns-of-escalation-after-government-registration-rejection\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"GALA Warns of Escalation after Government Registration Rejection\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-07-12T07:04:21+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-07-12T07:52:26+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/gala-warns-of-escalation-after-government-registration-rejection\"},\"wordCount\":423,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/gala-warns-of-escalation-after-government-registration-rejection#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/gambia\/sites\/19\/2025\/07\/sm_1752294026.822959.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Gambia\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"head lines\",\"policy\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/gala-warns-of-escalation-after-government-registration-rejection#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/gala-warns-of-escalation-after-government-registration-rejection\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/gala-warns-of-escalation-after-government-registration-rejection\",\"name\":\"GALA Warns of Escalation after Government Registration Rejection - 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