The Gambia Police Force has condemned the vandalism, arson and destruction of public property during protests over electricity shortages, urging citizens to express their grievances through peaceful and lawful means. But the police warning comes against a backdrop of growing public frustration over prolonged power outages and mounting questions about the government’s handling of the country’s electricity crisis.
The protests on Monday, September 7, reportedly saw damage to police stations, National Water and Electricity Company (NAWEC) offices and other critical infrastructure.
In a statement issued Tuesday, the Police said the destruction of facilities providing essential public services could further disrupt electricity and other services, ultimately worsening the hardship faced by ordinary Gambians.
The condemnation of violence is understandable. Damage to public infrastructure cannot be justified as a legitimate form of protest, particularly when it risks depriving communities of already limited essential services.
However, the events also raise a broader question: what happens when public frustration reaches a point where citizens feel that conventional channels for expressing their grievances are no longer producing results?
The electricity crisis has been building for years, with repeated outages affecting households, businesses, hospitals and other essential services. For many Gambians, the latest protests are therefore not simply about a single power cut but reflect accumulated frustration over unreliable electricity and concerns about the management of the sector.
The Police have emphasised that freedom of expression must be exercised peacefully and within the law. That principle is fundamental. But equally important is the responsibility of the authorities to ensure that citizens have meaningful and effective avenues through which to raise legitimate grievances.
A warning against unlawful protest, by itself, does not resolve the conditions that produce public anger.
The government must therefore confront both sides of the crisis: maintaining public order while urgently addressing the underlying electricity problems that continue to fuel dissatisfaction.
The Police also warned against acts that could endanger lives, damage property or disrupt essential services. Yet the destruction of NAWEC facilities presents an especially troubling paradox. Citizens protesting against poor electricity supply risk damaging the very infrastructure required to improve that supply.
This is why accountability is needed alongside calls for restraint.
Authorities must provide the public with clear information about the causes of the electricity shortages, the financial and operational difficulties facing NAWEC, the measures being taken to restore reliable supply and the timetable for those interventions.
The protests should therefore serve as a warning to the government, not merely as a policing issue.
Suppressing disorder may restore temporary calm, but it will not eliminate the grievances behind it. If power shortages persist without credible explanations and visible solutions, public frustration is likely to continue.
The Gambia Police Force has a legitimate duty to protect lives, maintain public order and safeguard critical infrastructure. Citizens, equally, have a responsibility to protest peacefully and respect public and private property.
But the government has perhaps the greatest responsibility of all: to ensure that citizens do not have to take to the streets repeatedly to demand basic services and accountability.
The events of September 7 should therefore prompt more than a police warning. They should trigger a serious national conversation about the state of the electricity sector, the management of NAWEC, government policy and the growing gap between public expectations and the services being delivered.
Peaceful protest must be protected. Violence and vandalism must be condemned. But legitimate public grievances must also be heard—and addressed.
