
Another Gambian youth is gone. Omar Badjie of Mandinaring did not die by accident; he died after an encounter with those sworn to protect him. His family says he was brutalised. The police deny it. But one fact remains: Omar is dead in state custody.
This is not new. From Ebrima Barry (2000), Haruna Jatta (2017), the Faraba Banta massacre (2018), Kebba Secka (2019), Ousman Darboe (2019), and now Omar Badjie (2025), the pattern is undeniable. A police force that should defend life has become a predator.
Mr President, the blood is on your hands
Condolences and commissions will not wash away complicity. Each time killers in uniform walk free, your government becomes an accomplice. Leadership is not about issuing statements after death; it is about preventing the deaths in the first place. If your advisers cannot tell you this truth, they are not advisers; they are enablers.
To the Gambian people
Archbishop Desmond Tutu once said:
“If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the oppressor’s side.”
Silence is complicity. Every time we “move on,” the state learns it can kill us without consequence. Omar’s blood cries out for justice, and if we ignore it, tomorrow it could be yours, mine, or ours.
Diaspora Gambians, your remittances keep this nation alive. Use your voices. Gambians at home, your silence keeps the chains locked. Break them.
Lessons from Africa
We have seen what happens when impunity festers. In Nigeria, the youth rose with the cry “Soro Soke” (speak up) during the #EndSARS protests after years of police brutality. In South Africa, Marikana remains a scar that reminds us how unchecked power destroys trust. These countries teach us that “justice delayed is justice denied.”
What must be done
Omar’s death must not fade into another dusty file. To rebuild trust, the government must:
• Order an independent autopsy with neutral forensic experts.
• Launch a citizen-led inquiry into police brutality since 2017.
• Suspend implicated officers pending transparent investigations.
• Create whistleblower protection and a hotline for reporting abuses.
Elections are around the corner
2026 is not about rice bags and T-shirts. It is about life and death. As Nelson Mandela reminded us:
“Safety and security don’t just happen, they are the result of collective consensus and public investment.”
A government that cannot protect your life has no right to ask for your vote.
Conclusion: Dignity or decay
The words in its Constitution do not judge a nation, but by how it treats its weakest citizens. Omar Badjie’s death is more than a family’s tragedy; it is a test of Gambia’s conscience.
The choice before us is simple:
Do we bury another Gambian and move on? Or do we bury impunity, once and for all?