Interior Minister Says Police Cannot Arrest Every Politician Over Divisive Remarks

By Fatou Sillah

Gambia’s Interior Minister, Abdoulie Sanyang, has defended the police’s approach to inflammatory political rhetoric, saying authorities cannot arrest every politician who makes divisive remarks and are instead prioritizing dialogue to ease tensions ahead of the 2026–2027 electoral cycle.

Addressing the National Assembly on Wednesday, Mr. Sanyang said police were engaging political parties, candidates, and community leaders to discourage tribalism and other forms of divisive rhetoric.

“In the right or the left or the center, all of them are saying things that they should not have said,” he said, acknowledging that politicians across the political spectrum had made inappropriate statements.

His remarks came in response to a lawmaker who questioned why authorities had not acted against the Minister of Lands and Regional Affairs over an alleged discriminatory remark referring to an individual as Lebanese.

Mr. Sanyang said police were seeking to address such incidents through community policing, public education, and direct engagement with political leaders rather than relying exclusively on arrests.

“There are things that the police try to avoid, not to create unnecessary tension,” he said, arguing that arrests during election campaigns could inflame political tensions, particularly when party leaders cannot fully control their supporters.

“The objective of community policing is not only to arrest. If you can do things otherwise to make sure those things are reduced, you go ahead,” he added.

Mr. Sanyang maintained that police would continue working with political parties and communities to promote peaceful campaigning, discourage inflammatory rhetoric, and uphold the law throughout the electoral period.