{"id":95201,"date":"2026-03-20T09:40:42","date_gmt":"2026-03-20T09:40:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/uncategorized\/crs-ncce-urge-political-tolerance-for-peaceful-elections"},"modified":"2026-03-20T09:40:42","modified_gmt":"2026-03-20T09:40:42","slug":"crs-ncce-urge-political-tolerance-for-peaceful-elections","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/crs-ncce-urge-political-tolerance-for-peaceful-elections","title":{"rendered":"CRS NCCE Urge Political Tolerance for Peaceful Elections"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span class=\"ap-article-header-tag\">           <strong>Africa-Press &#8211; Gambia. <\/strong>         <\/span><b>The National Council for Civic Education (NCCE), in collaboration with Catholic Relief Services (CRS), has organized structured dialogue sessions with political actors and communities in the North Bank Region, aimed at promoting peace and social cohesion ahead of the 2026 electoral cycle.<\/b><\/p>\n<p>The sessions took place at the <b>Governor\u2019s Conference in Kerewan<\/b> and were part of the <b>HOPE Project (Harmony, Outreach, Peace, and Engagement)<\/b>. <b>Ansumana Ceesay<\/b>, NCCE Program Manager, highlighted the importance of the partnership, noting that the dialogue, themed \u201cBridging the Divide: Fostering Social Cohesion and Peace\u201d, is a strategic initiative to address fractures in Gambian society.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe project is designed to ensure that the \u2018Smiling Coast\u2019 not only smiles for the cameras but does so because its people are united and at peace,\u201d Ceesay said. He emphasized that the NCCE\u2019s mandate is to ensure every Gambian knows their rights\u2014and, more importantly, understands their responsibility to follow due process and reject actions that threaten collective tranquility.<\/p>\n<p>The ten-day dialogue sessions involved communities and political actors across all regions, targeting <b>550 influential voices<\/b>. Ceesay described these engagements as crucial for strengthening democratic practices and promoting a peaceful electoral process. \u201cAs the 2026 electoral cycle approaches, we must return to our constitutional foundation. Section 1(2) of the 1997 Constitution reminds us that sovereignty resides with the people. Power is held in trust; it is not a weapon to be used against one\u2019s neighbor. Elections are a test of a nation\u2019s character, and informed citizens cannot be manipulated into violence,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Ceesay urged stakeholders to speak honestly and responsibly, noting the deepening polarization along political and ethnic lines. \u201cAbusive language in public discourse, provocative social media posts, and the rise of political thuggery are dangerous. If we do not act now, we risk losing the very peace that defines our nation. Today is not about political competition; it is about addressing threats to our collective survival,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<p>He called on participants to listen with open hearts and speak with honest tongues. \u201cPolitical and religious leaders, your followers watch your every move. If you preach tolerance, they will practice it. If you choose dialogue over confrontation, they will follow suit. Let us reflect on values that define us: Peace, Justice, and Progress. Our collective desire for development can only be achieved on a foundation of tranquility.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><b>Pamela R. Jackson Camara<\/b>, CRS Focal Person for the HOPE Project, commended NCCE for engaging political actors and communities on peace. She said the dialogues aim to promote inclusion, reduce political polarization, and foster constructive discussion, accountability, and mutual understanding. She emphasized that peace requires collective responsibility and civic awareness, noting CRS\u2019s commitment to inclusion, especially for women and persons with disabilities.<\/p>\n<p><b>Governor Lamin Saidykhan<\/b> thanked CRS and NCCE for raising public awareness through the \u201cBridging the Divide\u201d initiative. He stressed the importance of political tolerance and participation in consolidating peace throughout the electoral cycle. He called on citizens to be law-abiding and avoid political violence and tribal politics. \u201cThe 1997 Constitution guarantees freedom of association, and political rights must be respected. Politics comes and goes, but family relationships endure,\u201d he said, recalling the <b>1981 aborted coup<\/b> that caused loss of lives, livelihoods, and food insecurity.<\/p>\n<p><b>Chief Fabala Fadia Kinteh<\/b> of Lower Badibou also stressed the need for political tolerance and urged respect for individual political affiliations. He described the outreach program as important and called for wider dissemination of lessons learned to ensure that more people understand the significance of peace, regardless of political differences.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ap-article-footer-note\">           Find more news and analyses on           <span class=\"ap-highlight-country\">Gambia<\/span>           on the           <span class=\"ap-highlight-brand\">Africa Press<\/span>           website         <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Africa-Press &#8211; Gambia. The National Council for Civic Education (NCCE), in collaboration with Catholic Relief Services (CRS), has organized structured dialogue sessions with political actors and communities in the North Bank Region, aimed at promoting peace and social cohesion ahead of the 2026 electoral cycle. The sessions took place at the Governor\u2019s Conference in Kerewan [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":95200,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,12],"tags":[260],"class_list":["post-95201","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-policy","tag-gambia"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.1 (Yoast SEO v27.0) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>CRS NCCE Urge Political Tolerance for Peaceful Elections - Gambia<\/title>\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\/uncategorized\/crs-ncce-urge-political-tolerance-for-peaceful-elections\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"CRS NCCE Urge Political Tolerance for Peaceful Elections\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Africa-Press &#8211; Gambia. The National Council for Civic Education (NCCE), in collaboration with Catholic Relief Services (CRS), has organized structured dialogue sessions with political actors and communities in the North Bank Region, aimed at promoting peace and social cohesion ahead of the 2026 electoral cycle. The sessions took place at the Governor\u2019s Conference in Kerewan [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/uncategorized\/crs-ncce-urge-political-tolerance-for-peaceful-elections\" \/>\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=\"2026-03-20T09:40:42+00:00\" \/>\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\/uncategorized\/crs-ncce-urge-political-tolerance-for-peaceful-elections#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/uncategorized\/crs-ncce-urge-political-tolerance-for-peaceful-elections\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"CRS NCCE Urge Political Tolerance for Peaceful Elections\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-03-20T09:40:42+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/uncategorized\/crs-ncce-urge-political-tolerance-for-peaceful-elections\"},\"wordCount\":603,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/uncategorized\/crs-ncce-urge-political-tolerance-for-peaceful-elections#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/gambia\/sites\/19\/2026\/03\/sm_1774003146.065653.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Gambia\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"policy\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/uncategorized\/crs-ncce-urge-political-tolerance-for-peaceful-elections#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/uncategorized\/crs-ncce-urge-political-tolerance-for-peaceful-elections\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/uncategorized\/crs-ncce-urge-political-tolerance-for-peaceful-elections\",\"name\":\"CRS NCCE Urge Political Tolerance for Peaceful Elections - 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