By Rtd Lt Colonel Samsudeen Sarr,
This historic occasion of our 61st Independence Anniversary, I extend warm congratulations to all Gambians at home and abroad. This year’s celebration carries a rare and powerful symbolism of Ramadan for Muslims, Lent for Christians, and Independence Day unfolding simultaneously. Such a convergence is not accidental but a mirror of who we are as a people.
The Gambia is a nation where religious difference does not divide but attracts; where faith enriches national identity rather than competes with it. We have always been Gambians first before identifying as Muslims or Christians. Our religious devotion has never mutated into dangerous dogma, and our diversity has never been weaponized into hatred. In an era when religion fuels wars and extremism across continents, our quiet coexistence stands as an exceptional global phenomenon. It is not merely something to cherish privately but a national virtue to project boldly to the world as proof that pluralism can thrive without fear.
It is my prayer that this sacred harmony will endure eternally and that in moments of political or social stress, Gambians will remember that our unity is older than our disagreements.
At independence on 18 February 1965, many Western observers doubted that The Gambia could survive as a sovereign nation. No one expressed that skepticism more vividly than the American writer Berkeley Rice in his book “Enter Gambia, The Birth of an Improbable Nation”. The title itself captured the global mood that our country was too small, too weak, and too dependent to last.
Sixty-one years later, the verdict of history is clear: The Gambia exists, and exists well. We have survived crises that would have shattered larger and wealthier states. Our endurance has not been accidental; it has been tested repeatedly through moments of extreme vulnerability.
As a retired military officer and former commander of the Gambia National Army, I view our national journey largely through the lens of security and political stability. Three events in particular stand out as transformative moments in our national development.
The first was the abortive coup of 1981, only sixteen years after independence. The rebellion exposed the fragility of our young institutions and nearly dismantled the state itself. It was the intervention of Senegal that prevented national collapse. Without that decisive action, the history of The Gambia might have ended before it fully began.
The second was the 1994 military takeover, which introduced an unfamiliar, harsh, and highly transformative regime. Few Gambians believed it would survive even a decade, yet it ruled for twenty-two years. That period reshaped our political culture, our civil-military relations, and our understanding of power. It taught us, at great cost, that stability without liberty is merely delayed instability.
The third was the 2017 electoral impasse, which once again threatened peace and national cohesion. Once more, Senegal played a pivotal role in facilitating a UN resolution with minimal bloodshed. This repeated pattern should humble us. While we hope never again to rely on external rescue, geography, history, and culture bind our destinies together. Senegal and The Gambia are not merely neighbors; we are strategic lifelines to each other. A closer and more realistic bilateral relationship is not optional but an insurance policy for survival in the 21st century.
Yet while we celebrate this remarkable coincidence of faith and nationhood, February 18, 2026 also compels us to reflect on another approaching milestone: the Presidential election of December 2026.
As expected, political divisions are sharpening. Supporters of continuity argue that President Adama Barrow deserves re-election based on performance. The opposition insists that two terms have been unsatisfactory and that change is overdue. In a constitutional democracy, however, the truth does not lie in rhetoric but in the arithmetic that victory belongs to whoever secures the majority of votes under the law.
What is troubling is the growing distrust surrounding the electoral process itself. The main opposition party has repeatedly alleged that the Independent Electoral Commission is compromised, claiming the existence of approximately 300,000 hidden voter cards used in past elections to manipulate outcomes. Whether true or false, such accusations strike at the heart of democratic legitimacy. They cannot be ignored.
Confidence in elections is as important as the elections themselves. If necessary, neutral international observers should be invited well ahead of polling day—not as a sign of weakness, but as a statement of transparency. The burden of proof in democracy rests not on the loser but on the system.
Africa’s history shows us that elections often trigger confrontation and violence. The Gambia has largely escaped that fate—but history offers no guarantees. Peace must be planned, protected, and defended through credible institutions and honest competition.
My hope is that on 18 February 2027, we will celebrate our 62nd Independence Anniversary while proudly recalling that the 2026 presidential election, regardless of who won, was conducted peacefully, credibly, and with national dignity.
On this solemn and sacred day, marked by fasting, reflection, and freedom, I pray that The Gambia will continue to walk the path of unity, justice, and mutual respect.
May our faith strengthen our nation, may our democracy deepen our peace and may our independence never become a memory without meaning.
