{"id":96154,"date":"2026-04-17T09:41:30","date_gmt":"2026-04-17T09:41:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/uncategorized\/udp-holds-2026-solo-sandeng-memorial-symposium-and-lecture"},"modified":"2026-04-17T10:17:58","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T10:17:58","slug":"udp-holds-2026-solo-sandeng-memorial-symposium-and-lecture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/udp-holds-2026-solo-sandeng-memorial-symposium-and-lecture","title":{"rendered":"UDP Holds 2026 Solo Sandeng Memorial Symposium and Lecture"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"color: #ff6600\"><strong>Africa-Press &#8211; Gambia. <\/strong><\/span><b>The United Democratic Party on Tuesday convened the Solo Sandeng Memorial Symposium Lecture 2026 in remembrance of the late Ebrima Solo Sandeng, drawing senior party officials, human rights advocates, members of his family, and other dignitaries.<\/b><\/p>\n<p>The annual lecture served as both a commemoration and a reflection on The Gambia\u2019s democratic journey since the events surrounding the April 14 protest, which has become a symbolic moment in the country\u2019s recent political history.<\/p>\n<p>Delivering the keynote address, human rights activist Madi Jobarteh, executive director of the Edward Francis Small Centre for Rights and Justice, said Gambians must continue to reflect on the significance of the April protests that led to Mr. Sandeng\u2019s arrest and subsequent death in custody.<\/p>\n<p>He said the events helped break the climate of fear that had long constrained civic expression, but questioned whether the objectives of the movement had been fully achieved.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLet us ask ourselves, have we paid the price of Solo Sandeng\u2019s sacrifice? Have we achieved the objectives of April 14?\u201d he said, adding that the question applied not only to government but also to political actors, including the UDP.<\/p>\n<p>The party leader and secretary general of the UDP, Ousainu Darboe, used his remarks to call for comprehensive electoral reforms, arguing that the country\u2019s democratic consolidation depends on strengthening electoral processes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI believe that all parties in this country do believe that there is a need for electoral reforms,\u201d he said. \u201cWe cannot go on blaming Yahya Jammeh for the issues of this country; he has left now, and the responsibility is with the current government and ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Speaking at the same event, Touma Njie, National Assembly Member for Banjul South, said Mr. Sandeng\u2019s legacy should serve as a reminder for Gambians to remain vigilant in defending democratic gains and strengthening national institutions.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe must therefore never forget the past and must use it as a lesson. In unity and remembrance, I stand with every victim,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Muhammed Sandeng, son of the late activist, reflected on the significance of his father\u2019s legacy and expressed concern about the country\u2019s direction, particularly among young people.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cToday, and ten years down the line, the reflection is really on the young people,\u201d he said. \u201cWhat do we really want as young people of this country? We want change where The Gambia is dignified and not put in a position where it has to sell its dignity.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Another speaker, Fa Lang Sonko, recalled his time in detention alongside Mr. Sandeng, describing alleged torture and mistreatment during their period in state custody.<\/p>\n<p><strong>For More News And Analysis About <span style=\"color: #ff6600\">Gambia<\/span> Follow <span style=\"color: #ff6600\">Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Africa-Press &#8211; Gambia. The United Democratic Party on Tuesday convened the Solo Sandeng Memorial Symposium Lecture 2026 in remembrance of the late Ebrima Solo Sandeng, drawing senior party officials, human rights advocates, members of his family, and other dignitaries. The annual lecture served as both a commemoration and a reflection on The Gambia\u2019s democratic journey [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":96153,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,10],"tags":[260],"class_list":["post-96154","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-parties","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>UDP Holds 2026 Solo Sandeng Memorial Symposium and Lecture - Gambia<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The United Democratic Party on Tuesday convened the Solo Sandeng Memorial Symposium Lecture 2026 in remembrance of th ...\" \/>\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\/udp-holds-2026-solo-sandeng-memorial-symposium-and-lecture\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"UDP Holds 2026 Solo Sandeng Memorial Symposium and Lecture\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The United Democratic Party on Tuesday convened the Solo Sandeng Memorial Symposium Lecture 2026 in remembrance of th ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/udp-holds-2026-solo-sandeng-memorial-symposium-and-lecture\" \/>\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=\"2026-04-17T09:41:30+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-04-17T10:17:58+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/gambia\/sites\/19\/2026\/04\/sm_1776408452.868865.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"620\" \/>\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\/udp-holds-2026-solo-sandeng-memorial-symposium-and-lecture#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/udp-holds-2026-solo-sandeng-memorial-symposium-and-lecture\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"UDP Holds 2026 Solo Sandeng Memorial Symposium and Lecture\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-17T09:41:30+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-17T10:17:58+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/udp-holds-2026-solo-sandeng-memorial-symposium-and-lecture\"},\"wordCount\":447,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/udp-holds-2026-solo-sandeng-memorial-symposium-and-lecture#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/gambia\/sites\/19\/2026\/04\/sm_1776408452.868865.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Gambia\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"parties\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/udp-holds-2026-solo-sandeng-memorial-symposium-and-lecture#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/udp-holds-2026-solo-sandeng-memorial-symposium-and-lecture\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/udp-holds-2026-solo-sandeng-memorial-symposium-and-lecture\",\"name\":\"UDP Holds 2026 Solo Sandeng Memorial Symposium and Lecture - 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