Gambia protests grow chaotic as power outages worsen

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Thousands took to the streets overnight in The Gambia, burning tyres and chanting against the president in protest over blackouts that have dogged the country since June and recently grown more severe.

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The rolling power outages, which are occurring during the country’s hot season, have lasted up to 48 hours in some locations.

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Demonstrators in Banjul, and other nearby cities protested overnight Monday to Tuesday, setting fires and blocking traffic while chanting “Barrow must go!”

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In the Westfield district on the outskirts of the capital, police used tear gas as crowds headed towards the headquarters of The Gambia’s energy provider, the National Water and Electricity Corporation (NAWEC).

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President Adama Barrow called the outages “a national security issue” and “an emergency” Tuesday, while declaring that it was “time for action”, as he visited the NAWEC power station in the city of Brikama, near the capital.

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He is expected to address the nation more formally later in the day.

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The demonstrations mark a sharp escalation from earlier power protests and come just months before December elections, in which Barrow is running for a third term.

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NAWEC in mid-August said the blackouts were due to surges in demand, mainly because of high temperatures, combined with “constraints on electricity imports”.

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On Tuesday, Gallo Saidy, NAWEC managing director, said the problems were due in part to climate change and war in the Middle East, while appealing to Gambians for patience.

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He cancelled his attendance at a road inauguration Tuesday to visit the NAWEC facility at Brikama and also Kotu, two of the areas hardest hit by both outages and protests.

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Information Minister Ismaila Ceesay said in a statement that The Gambia was “treating the situation with the seriousness and utmost urgency it deserves, and we want to assure every Gambian that we are working relentlessly”.

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