Coalition 2026 Spokesperson: Senegal Must Respect Our Sovereignty; We Are No Colony

By Seedy Jobe

Assan Martin, a lawyer and spokesman for Coalition 2026, has called for The Gambia to take greater control of its national security, arguing that the presence of Senegalese personnel around President Adama Barrow undermines the country’s sovereignty.

Speaking in an interview with Kerr Fatou, Mr. Martin criticized what he described as extensive reliance on Senegal for presidential security and called for sweeping reforms of Gambian security institutions.

“When you go to State House, what saddens you is that the personnel around the president to the last post are all Senegalese,” he said. “That is uncalled for. We are not a colony.”

“Senegal has to give us that respect,” he added.

Mr. Martin’s characterization of the security arrangements at State House was not independently verified for this report.

He pointed to Senegal’s push for the withdrawal of French forces under President Bassirou Diomaye Faye and Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko as an example of the independence he believes The Gambia should assert.

Control over defence and energy security, he argued, was essential to sovereignty. He described The Gambia’s dependence on Senegal as resembling a protectorate, rather than a relationship between fully independent states.

Mr. Martin claimed that Senegal exercised influence over “75% to 90%” of what happened in The Gambia but offered no supporting figures during the remarks cited.

“So when are we going to untie our hands on this issue?” he asked.

Turning to the regional military mission known as ECOMIG, Mr. Martin questioned how long The Gambia would continue to depend on foreign troops. He referred to a 600-member contingent and warned that personnel must remain within their rules of engagement, particularly as the country approaches its presidential election.

“If ECOMIG goes out of line in their rules of engagement and touches any citizen here, that will be the time you will know that Gambian citizens are ready,” he said.

He did not specify what form such a public response would take. He said Gambians wanted peace and that political leaders had a responsibility to preserve it.

Mr. Martin also criticized statements he attributed to government ministers suggesting that the administration would not relinquish power. He did not identify the ministers or specify the remarks in the account provided.

“Nobody owns this country,” he said, adding that Mr. Barrow should hand over power if defeated at the polls.

Mr. Martin described reclaiming sovereignty and strengthening patriotism as central priorities for Coalition 2026. Achieving those goals, he said, would require trusted leadership and comprehensive reform of the police, army, immigration, and customs services.

He acknowledged that such changes would be difficult but argued that they were necessary for the country’s future.

“Either we survive as a country or we just keep on staying as a protectorate under President Barrow,” he said.

Mr. Martin further accused the president of failing to address pressing national concerns, arguing that this had weakened public confidence in his leadership.

“People lose confidence, people lose hope,” he said. “And we tell people hope can only come from a leadership that has vision.”