From Party Labels to Personal Ancestry: Juwara Raises Alarm Over Ethnic Politics

By Makutu Manneh

Political analyst Lamin Juwara has called on President Adama Barrow to take decisive action against the growing use of ethnic identity as a political weapon in The Gambia, warning that the practice threatens national unity and risks deepening divisions in the country.

Speaking on Kerr Fatou’s Politic Kachaa show, Juwara welcomed President Barrow’s recent condemnation of tribal rhetoric but said the intervention, though long overdue, must be followed by concrete steps to discourage identity-based attacks in the country’s political discourse.

“The continued use of ethnicity for political advantage is dangerous and must be stopped by the highest office in the country,” he said.

Juwara expressed concern over what he described as an evolving pattern of ethnic-based political attacks, noting that political opponents were previously targeted through attempts to portray entire parties as representing particular ethnic groups. He said such attacks have increasingly shifted toward questioning the ethnic heritage and identity of individual political leaders.

He warned that unless the practice is confronted, any political party or leader emerging as a serious challenger to the government could become the next target of similar attacks.

According to Juwara, the recurring use of ethnicity to discredit political opponents risks normalizing divisive rhetoric and undermining the country’s longstanding tradition of coexistence among its diverse communities.

He stressed that The Gambia belongs equally to citizens of all ethnic backgrounds and that the responsibility for safeguarding that unity rests, above all, with the president.

Juwara urged Barrow to move beyond public condemnation and demonstrate leadership in fostering a political environment where individuals and parties are judged by their policies, records, and ideas rather than their ethnic origins.