“How Do You Know? You Are Always Sleeping”: Jammeh Questions Barrow’s Claims About His Activities, Denies Plans to Destabilize Gambia

By Staff Writer

An audio recording reportedly featuring former Gambian President Yahya Jammeh has surfaced in which the exiled former leader rejects suggestions that he intends to destabilize the Gambia, while warning that he retains the right to defend himself, his integrity, and the country.

The authenticity of the recording has not been independently verified.

In the recording, the speaker begins by invoking his military background, saying he remains a soldier by training but has no desire to be responsible for bloodshed or destruction.

“I am a professional soldier, and once a soldier, always a soldier, but I have no intention to go to hell,” he says.

He goes on to say that he would never deliberately bring war or suffering to The Gambia.

“Let it be very clear, I will be the last human being on earth, not in The Gambia, but on earth, that will bring destruction to The Gambia and kill innocent women and children and make them suffer and go and suffer in other people’s countries,” the speaker says. “For what?”

At the same time, he warns that he would respond if he believes someone has crossed a line.

“But if somebody crosses the line, that guy has to pay for it,” he says. “I have a right to defend myself. I have a right to defend my integrity. And I have a right to defend my country, to save my country from peril.”

The speaker also reflects on the consequences of armed conflict, arguing that anyone who starts a war bears responsibility for every death that follows.

“If you wage a war against a country, you are the one responsible for all the deaths, of even the cats, the dirimos, and even the cockroaches that die; you are responsible,” he says. “Don’t you know that? It is not a small responsibility.”

He adds that people who lose relatives in a conflict would continue to blame those responsible for bringing war to the country.

“Those who lost loved ones, they will never support you no matter what you think,” he says. “They will still hate you because they will blame you for the loss of family members.”

In another part of the recording, the speaker cautions supporters against allowing anyone to threaten others while invoking Jammeh’s name.

“I don’t want anybody to threaten you people using my name,” he says. “It is not true. It is not true. I don’t know him. That is all I can say.”

The recording then turns sharply toward President Adama Barrow, whom the speaker accuses of repeatedly blaming Jammeh for instability and claiming to know details of his life in exile.

“But Adama Barrow, you are going too far, reporting me everywhere, trying to destabilize the country, this and that and that,” he says.

The speaker mocks claims that Barrow is closely informed about his movements and condition.

“You say you know when I eat; every day you know what I am doing. If I am sick, you know,” he says. “Maybe you are the grandfather of Ibliss. Ain’t you ashamed?”

He then questions whether Barrow is suggesting that people are secretly reporting to him about Jammeh’s activities.

“Are you telling me that there are people that are informing you about me? That is a lie,” he says. “You know what I do every day. Who are you? And you don’t even know what you do and what you are doing to The Gambia.”

The speaker continues by accusing Barrow of being detached from events at home.

“Any Gambian who listens to you will know this is an insult,” he says. “How do you know? You are always sleeping. How would you know what I am doing?”

He then links those claims to broader accusations against Barrow’s government, saying that if the president truly knows what happens in Equatorial Guinea, then he should also know what is happening in The Gambia.

“So that means you also know all the killings that are going on, the corruption, the massive corruption and violence and human sacrifice, you know that because you know what is happening here in Equatorial Guinea,” he says.

The speaker offers no evidence in the recording to support those allegations.

“That is not true. You know that is a lie,” he adds. “Something that is not true is a lie.”

He closes by telling Barrow to focus on governing The Gambia instead of invoking his name.

“You better fix the problem of The Gambia rather than every day lying about me,” he says. “It is coming to 10 years; you’ve done nothing but every day, Yahya Jammeh, Yahya Jammeh.”

Jammeh ruled The Gambia for 22 years before losing the December 2016 presidential election to Barrow. He left the country for Equatorial Guinea in January 2017 after initially rejecting the results.

The recording emerges at a politically sensitive moment, with The Gambia heading toward the December 2026 presidential election and Jammeh continuing to remain a significant, though exiled, figure in the country’s political discourse.