Gambian President Declares Power Emergency Amid Protests

President Adama Barrow has declared the country’s prolonged electricity crisis a national emergency and promised to increase power generation as protests over rolling blackouts intensify ahead of the December presidential election.

Barrow urged citizens to remain calm over prolonged power cuts. He said that the country is not alone in facing an electricity crisis that has affected several parts of West Africa.

Demonstrators in Banjul and surrounding areas burned tyres, erected roadblocks and called for Barrow to resign after some communities experienced outages lasting up to 48 hours during the hot season.

Police used tear gas to disperse protesters gathering near Barrow’s residence and the headquarters of the National Water and Electricity Corporation.

Barrow has promised a 24-megawatt generation machine by the end of October. He announced plans for a further 50-megawatt solar power plant. The electricity provider has blamed soaring temperatures, climate change and wider geopolitical disruptions for the crisis.