By Olimatou Coker
The Voices for Peace Forum, yesterday convened key stakeholders to a meeting to analyse concerns about democracy and upcoming elections in The Gambia.
The three-day forum is being held under the European Union-funded Electoral Violence Monitoring, Analysis and Mitigation (E-MAM) Project, implemented by WANEP across 12 West African countries.
At the forum, the Gambia’s national security adviser Abubacarr Sulayman Jeng assured Gambians of the commitment of the country’s defence and security apparatus to ensuring a peaceful and violence-free election on December 5 when Gambia will hold election for president.
In a statement delivered on his behalf by Assan Jaiteh of the National Security Office, Jeng described The Gambia as being at a “defining moment” in its democratic journey as the country prepares for another critical electoral cycle.
According to him, security agencies are ready to work with all stakeholders to protect the integrity of the electoral process and ensure that the outcome reflects the will of the Gambian people.
Jeng further said the country has made significant progress since 2016 in restoring democratic norms, fundamental freedoms and public trust in the electoral process.
“This progress was hard-won and it is our shared responsibility to protect and preserve,” he advised.
He reminded the audience that experience across the sub-region shows that elections, regardless of how well they are administered, can become sources of tension and violence when early warning signs are ignored or not addressed.
He said this makes platforms such as the Voices for Peace Forum important in identifying potential threats and strengthening preventive measures.
Jeng said the regional experience would help strengthen The Gambia’s understanding of electoral risks and improve national strategies for preventing and mitigating potential conflicts.
He commended the organisers, WANEP for bringing together national and regional stakeholders and for drawing on experiences from across West Africa in election observation, mediation and conflict prevention.
Raphael Brigandi, Deputy Head of Mission of the European Union in The Gambia, said elections remain central to democracy as they allow citizens to choose their representatives, noting that peaceful elections depend not only on laws and institutions but also on the political environment, responsible leadership and the ability of stakeholders to prevent tensions from escalating into conflict.
“This is why the ‘Voices for Peace Forum’ is so important. It provides a space to identify electoral risks, strengthen dialogue, and agree on practical measures to prevent violence,” Brigandi said.
He said peaceful elections require collective responsibility, coordination, trust, communication and responsible leadership.
“The European Union is pleased to support this nationally led effort and promote peaceful and inclusive democratic participation,” he added.
Ms Salama Njie, the national Coordinator for WANEP-The Gambia, said election should never be a time of fear or division, but the risks are there. She said political competition can sometimes trigger tension, ‘and worst, it can divide us if we are not careful.’
She added that the three-day forum is the safe space to talk honestly. “We are here to look at the challenges facing our democracy. We are here to find early warning signs, stop trouble before it starts. We want every voice for peace to be louder than any voice of division. We are not here merely to highlight problems, but to forge actionable paths towards structural stability, electoral integrity and sustainable peace,” she said.
The forum brought together representatives of state institutions, political parties, security agencies, election management bodies, civil society organisations, the media and regional institutions.
Participants are expected to examine concerns and emerging risks surrounding the electoral process and identify practical measures for early warning, prevention and mitigation.