Bensouda Urges Barrow to Rein In Ministers Over Divisive Tribal Rhetoric

By Fatou Sillah

Talib Ahmed Bensouda, mayor of the Kanifing Municipal Council and presidential candidate of Coalition 2026, has called on President Adama Barrow to take decisive action against government ministers who make statements that could fuel tribal divisions, warning that such rhetoric threatens national unity.

Speaking at a Coalition 2026 rally in Medina Sering Mass, Mr. Bensouda said the president had a responsibility to ensure that members of his administration refrained from using public platforms to promote ethnic divisions.

“President Adama Barrow, you are our president. If your ministers stand on platforms, speaking in tribal lines to divide the people, you as the president should cut their speeches and ask them to leave the meeting ground because they want to divide the country,” he said.

Mr. Bensouda argued that presidential leadership extends beyond winning elections and requires a commitment to safeguarding national cohesion. He condemned tribalism as an obstacle to national development and urged political leaders to set an example by promoting unity rather than division.

The Coalition 2026 candidate also criticized government spending on President Barrow’s ongoing Meet the People Tour, claiming that 70 million dalasis in public funds had been allocated to the 19-day exercise.

He alleged that the government was spending approximately three million dalasis a day on the tour, which is officially intended to facilitate dialogue with farmers and rural communities.

Mr. Bensouda questioned the administration’s spending priorities, arguing that the funds could be better used to address development needs in communities such as Medina Sering Mass and other underserved villages.

He further accused the government of turning the presidential tour into a platform for attacking political opponents, including himself, rather than focusing on the concerns of farmers and rural residents.

Addressing questions about his ancestry, Mr. Bensouda also rejected claims that he was of Lebanese origin, asserting that both his parents were born in The Gambia.

His remarks come amid heightened political activity ahead of the December presidential election, as opposition figures intensify their criticism of the Barrow administration over governance, public spending, and national unity.