Editorial: Darboe’s Dangerous Rhetoric and the Violence It Emboldens

The events that transpired at the United Democratic Party (UDP) meeting in New Yundum — where a female UDP supporter was assaulted, humiliated, and mobbed by her own party comrades — are not only disgraceful but symptomatic of a deeper rot within the political culture that some leaders continue to nurture.

On that very day, UDP leader Ousainou Darboe delivered a speech extolling women in the UDP for their so-called “fierce resistance” and “courageous fight,” framing the party’s legacy in the language of struggle, aggression, and combat. Instead of championing democratic values like dialogue, unity, and peaceful engagement, Mr. Darboe glorified a history of confrontation, implicitly validating violent behavior as a badge of loyalty.

His remarks, far from empowering women, have emboldened a factional, hostile environment where female militants now feel justified — even celebrated — for attacking their fellow citizens, including women within their own ranks. This is not bravery. This is not political engagement. This is thuggery dressed in yellow. The irony is glaring: while Mr. Darboe romanticized women “tightening their waists” to “rescue the country,” a loyal UDP woman was being dragged, beaten, and publicly shamed — not by her political opponents, but by UDP women at a UDP event, under the watch of UDP leadership.

This culture of glorified resistance and selective victimhood has devolved into something dangerous. One must now ask: is the United Democratic Party a platform for democratic ideals or a breeding ground for political hooliganism? Mr. Darboe cannot continue to bask in the glow of past struggles while turning a blind eye to the violence committed in his name. His silence on the attack is complicity. His praise of past aggression is incitement. We condemn, in the strongest possible terms, the violence committed by UDP women at the New Yundum meeting. And we hold Ousainou Darboe morally accountable for fostering an atmosphere where such acts are not only tolerated but seemingly encouraged. The Gambia deserves better. Our politics must be guided by respect, not retaliation — by principle, not provocation. Leaders who cannot rise above personal cults and partisan brutality are unfit to lead a nation striving for peace and progress.