The storm continues to brew off the coast of The Gambia, not in the skies, but beneath the waves, where the nation’s offshore oil blocks sit like buried treasure, now at the center of a growing national scandal. At the eye of this tempest is London-based lawyer Ousman F. M’Bai, whose explosive allegations have cast a long shadow over deals struck between The Gambia and the former Senegalese government between 2017 and 2023.
In a sweeping rebuttal on June 11, 2025, the Ministry of Petroleum, Energy, and Mines dismissed M’Bai’s allegations as baseless in various Gambian media outlets. But instead of engaging directly with the lawyer’s meticulously detailed accusations, the Ministry chose an all-too-familiar deflection; he turned the spotlight on former President Yahya Jammeh, whose relevance to the core issue is, at best, peripheral. It was a classic bait-and-switch, more concerned with shadowboxing ghosts of the past than confronting the living specter of alleged malpractice.
As one of the first commentators to weigh in, I felt compelled to amplify Mr. M’Bai’s voice, not because of political allegiance, but because his arguments are grounded in law, science, and a deep concern for national integrity. My analysis, which appeared on my Facebook page and was aired on Peter Gomez’s widely listened-to Coffee Time radio show, centered on what ‘The Fatu Network’, a bastion of credible journalism, had brought to public attention.
M’Bai’s disclosure through ‘The Fatu Networ’ and other social media accounts, presents a disturbing narrative of FAR Ltd., the Australian company entrusted with overseeing our offshore oil exploration. According to the report, the company may have not only failed in its duty but may have actively compromised The Gambia’s sovereign interest. In a twist that suggests troubling continuity, online investigators resurfaced a 2020 video of retired Captain Ebou Jallow, whose earlier warnings of shady dealings now seem hauntingly prophetic. That video remains just a click away on YouTube for anyone still interested.
Adding further weight, I cited Lawyer Essa Mbye Faal, founder of the Sobeya Party, who raised alarm bells about offshore mismanagement long before Mr. M’Bai’s revelations emerged.
Then, like a thunderclap, came the voice of Yahya Jammeh from exile, a dramatic audio dispatch laced with intrigue. But while his return to the narrative added a certain drama, I approached his claims with the caution they deserved. A man who demands reinstatement to release evidence cannot be taken seriously. I reiterated that our focus must remain anchored to the tangible M’Bai’s forensic breakdown, Jallow’s corroboration, and Faal’s consistent criticisms, not the tantrums of a former strongman.
Predictably, the Ministry’s rebuttal didn’t go unanswered. In a damning follow-up titled “Why Gambians Deserve the Full Truth About Our Oil,” published the same day, June 11, 2025, Lawyer Ousman F. M’Bai returned fire with precision. He accused the government of gross negligence and a lack of transparency, particularly in its handling of oil blocks bordering Senegal’s resource-rich Sangomar field.
Among the most alarming claims is that FAR Ltd. drilled within 500 meters of the highly productive Sangomar basin, yet declared the area barren, without ever publishing the drilling data or allowing independent scrutiny. M’Bai raised serious questions on how such a strategic opportunity could be written off so easily? What science, if any, justified that conclusion? Why were legal requests for data stonewalled?
Even more troubling was the government’s silence on FAR Ltd.’s controversial 2023 exit from Gambian waters, especially after the company received over \$122 million from the sale of its Senegalese holdings. Under international maritime law, specifically the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), neighboring countries sharing geological formations must consult and cooperate. Yet, The Gambia, M’Bai contends, did nothing of the sort.
To make matters worse, the government later redrew the maritime block boundaries, without public explanation, input, or oversight, raising fears of cartographic manipulation in favor of foreign interests.
Now, in a powerful call to action, Mr. M’Bai is demanding the immediate release of all relevant documents including but not limited to offshore block coordinates, seismic and drilling data, correspondence with FAR Ltd., and any intergovernmental agreements with Senegal. His closing message is one of urgent patriotism, in that The Gambia stands on the brink of resource plunder, and that silence will only embolden those who seek to exploit our national wealth.
In my reflections last week, I warned that while Jammeh’s voice may stir nostalgia or outrage, it is not in melodrama that we will find salvation. Our path forward must be lit by facts, not fueled by sentiment. I drew attention to Senegalese Prime Minister Ousman Sonko’s visit to Banjul earlier this year, not just as diplomatic formality, but perhaps as a critical moment for honest dialogue and overdue redress.
The time has arrived, not for exiled missives or partisan smokescreens, but for bold, transparent, institutional action, rooted in the rule of law and a fierce devotion to national sovereignty.
And now comes perhaps the most consequential move yet; Mr. M’Bai has reportedly filed formal complaints with Australian regulatory authorities, accusing FAR Ltd. of fraud, regulatory evasion, and financial misconduct. He alleges that over \$500 million changed hands between FAR and Woodside Energy over Senegalese assets, even as the company quietly exited Gambian operations under a cloud of suspicion. These transactions—marked by generous waivers, dubious boundary shifts, and opaque financial flows—may amount to nothing less than calculated asset-stripping.
In choosing to pursue justice through international channels, M’Bai has recognized the hard truth that sometimes, accountability must begin where local systems falter.
In this unfolding saga, the stakes could not be higher. The soul of The Gambia’s future—its economic dignity and territorial sovereignty—may well rest on how seriously we take these warnings, and how fiercely we fight for the truth.
