By Fatou Sillah
Talib Ahmed Bensouda, leader of UNITE and flag bearer of Coalition 2026, has said The Gambia’s national security should be placed fully in the hands of Gambian security forces if he is elected president.
Speaking at the signing ceremony of Coalition 2026’s memorandum of understanding, Bensouda questioned the government’s continued reliance on the ECOWAS Mission in The Gambia, or ECOMIG, arguing that the country’s security institutions are capable of protecting the nation if they are adequately equipped and supported.
He said the Gambia Police Force, the Gambia Armed Forces, and other security agencies should be provided with better salaries, stronger incentives, and the equipment needed to perform their duties effectively.
“Gambia’s security will be in the hands of Gambians. No foreigner will guard President Talib Ahmed Bensouda,” he said. “If I am elected president, I will tell ECOMIG thank you, but Gambia’s armed forces, the Gambian secret service, and the Gambia Police Force are the ones that are going to guard the State House and the country at large.”
Bensouda argued that the country’s reliance on foreign forces had weakened domestic security capacity and contributed to rising crime. He said Gambian institutions should take primary responsibility for protecting the country and its citizens.
He said a Coalition 2026 government would pursue a similar approach in other critical sectors, including electricity, by investing in domestic generation capacity and reducing the country’s dependence on external sources.
Bensouda also criticized President Adama Barrow’s leadership, saying the president had not communicated directly enough with Gambians during periods of national difficulty.
“Leadership is not only about laying foundation stones or inaugurating buildings, or entering planes and attending independence celebrations of other countries,” Bensouda said. “Leadership is something that people have to feel and notice.”
He said his broader ambition was to build stronger national institutions and increase The Gambia’s capacity to address its challenges without excessive reliance on outside support.
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