27 people arrested in a protest in Gambia over the sale of a former dictator's assets
BANJUL, Gambia (AP) — Protests in Gambia over the sale of a former dictator's assets led to the arrests of at least 27 demonstrators and two journalists, who were later released, police said Monday.
The protests in the West African country's capital of Banjul began after an investigative report by local media that accused the government of selling former dictator Yahya Jammeh 's assets at below market value. A group called the Gambians Against Looted Assets, or GALA, led the protest.
According to a government statement Monday, the sale went through a 'legally grounded process.'
'At all times, the government acted within the confines of the law and in the public interest,' the Ministry of Justice said.
'We condemn the (Inspector General of the Police) denial of our rights to protest and we will take none of it. We call on all Gambians to stand in opposition to this unlawful behavior of the police and come out in the thousands to take to the streets,' GALA spokesperson Omar Saibo Camara said at a news conference earlier this week. Camara was responding to the government's announcement that it had denied their request to protest.
A government commission was created in 2017 with the goal of looking into the financial dealings of former President Jammeh and his advisers. The commission concluded on Sept. 13, 2019 with a report indicating that the former president had stolen up to $362 million from the country.
His two-decade-long rule was marked by arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings, according to rights activists. Along with political opponents, Jammeh also targeted journalists and members of the gay community.
Jammeh now resides in Equatorial Guinea.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


New York Times
18 minutes ago
- New York Times
Jon Stewart to Los Angeles: ‘Is Your City Ever Not on Fire?'
Welcome to Best of Late Night, a rundown of the previous night's highlights that lets you sleep — and lets us get paid to watch comedy. Here are the 50 best movies on Netflix right now. Fire and I.C.E. Things have been tense for days in Los Angeles, where President Trump deployed the military in response to protests against immigration raids. Jon Stewart called the situation 'the very predictable result of a liberal city, reliant on an immigrant population, colliding with a heavy-handed MAGA migrant-trawling operation looking to hit its quota of brown Pokémen. Gotta catch 'em all!' 'Is it too much to ask to have one weekend where I don't have to Google 'when count as martial law'?' — STEPHEN COLBERT 'It's an explosive situation, on the cusp of federalism vs. states' rights, border control vs. due process, terrifyingly militarized sweeps vs. hard-working people in local communities, the United States Marines vs. the Postmates guy who brought you an egg sandwich.' — JON STEWART 'Trump's actions are shocking because this troop deployment is in defiance of the California government. Normally, the governor is in charge of the National Guard, and in Los Angeles, local and state authorities had not sought help in dealing with the protests. So nobody asked for this, and it's only going to make things worse. And in Los Angeles, there's a word for that: 'Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.'' — STEPHEN COLBERT 'There has been some pelting of police and I.C.E. agents with rocks and garbage. For instance, people began throwing objects at law enforcement in a protest that started when demonstrators took over the 101, though locals were quick to point out they should've taken over the 405 to the 5, saved at least 10 minutes on the road to fascism.' — STEPHEN COLBERT 'Also, if you're against property damage and protesters flying un-American flags, you guys would've hated Jan. 6.' — SETH MEYERS 'And quick question for those of you who live in that area: Is your city ever not on fire? Whether you win a basketball championship, a World Series championship, whether you have an exploding piñata gender reveal gone wrong — congratulations, it's a boy and an evacuation! — or you're just protesting the Trump administration's expanded deportation raids, L.A. continues to be our most flammable city.' — JON STEWART The Punchiest Punchlines (The Long Breakup Edition) 'Everybody's still talking about Trump's feud with Elon Musk, and apparently, Trump is considering getting rid of the Tesla that he bought a few months ago — although that's the same feeling every Tesla owner has.' — JIMMY FALLON 'Giving up the car makes sense. I mean, after a breakup, you always get rid of things that remind you of your ex.' — JIMMY FALLON 'I wouldn't worry. The dude has plenty of breakups. You know his policy — don't cry because it's over, frown because it happened.' — SETH MEYERS Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Doechii Calls Out Trump Administration for ‘Creating Fear and Chaos' at L.A. Protests in BET Awards Speech
Doechii made the most of her first BET Award win on Monday night, telling an audience of honorees and attendees at the Peacock Theater that she felt a 'responsibility as an artist' to address the immigration protests and raids in Los Angeles. 'I do want to address what's happening right now, outside the building,' said Doechii, referring to the protests happening in Downtown Los Angeles, home of the Peacock Theater. 'These are ruthless attacks that are creating fear and chaos in our communities. In the name of law and order, Trump is using military forces to stop a protest, and I want you all to consider what kind of government it appears to be — when every time we exercise our democratic right to protest, the military is deployed against us.' More from Variety BET Awards Winners 2025 (Updating Live) Kendrick Lamar, Doechii and Drake Lead 2025 BET Award Nominations Kevin Hart to Host 2025 BET Awards California National Guard troops arrived in the city on Sunday in a show of force following division between immigration agents and protesters and amid a burgeoning fight between California and the Trump administration. Protests started on Friday after Immigration Customs Enforcement officers carried out raids in three locations across Los Angeles, where dozens of people were taken into custody, per NBC News. Doechii said she would use her voice to stand up for 'all oppressed people, for Black people, for Latino people, for trans people, for the people in Gaza.' She continued, 'What type of government is that? People are being swept up and torn from their families? We all deserve to live in hope and not in fear. And I hope we stand together my brothers and my sisters against hate and we protest against it.' Doechii won the award for best female hip-hop artist, a category that also recognized Cardi B, Doja Cat, Glorilla, Latto, Megan Thee Stallion, Nicki Minaj, Rapsody and Sexyy Red as nominees. Best of Variety 'Harry Potter' TV Show Cast Guide: Who's Who in Hogwarts? 25 Hollywood Legends Who Deserve an Honorary Oscar New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Opinion: Why Dems Have It So Wrong: Trump Is Spoiling for This L.A. Battle
Consider what the average American is seeing on their phones/TV screens/computers out of Los Angeles over the past 48 hours: Cars being lit on fire (see below) Masked protesters waving Mexican flags standing in front of the burning cars Fireworks and rocks (and scooters!) being thrown at police vehicles Buildings being spray-painted with anti-law enforcement slogans To be clear: I am not saying that that is the whole story. As virtually every news story I have read is careful to note, these protests are very limited in scope—with much of Los Angeles not even noticing that they are happening. Trump's decision to call up the National Guard could well have been an accelerant to the violence as opposed to the solution for it. But, as I say over and over again: The average person is not seeking out every single nuance of a story like this. They are focused on their daily lives. They catch this sort of news only in passing. And, when you see a quick gloss of this story, it's one that clearly favors Donald Trump. Remember that Trump ran—expressly—in 2024 on getting MUCH tougher on illegal immigrants. The consensus—especially among loose partisans and swing voters—was that the Biden administration had been ineffectual at the Southern border, largely because of its unwillingness to put in place real and biting policies that would curtail the flow of illegals into the U.S. Even as Trump's numbers have faded on virtually every issue during his first five months in office, his polling on the border and immigration more broadly has stayed strong. Ask yourself this. If you are Trump would you rather have the big national story be: Your fight with Elon Musk? The ongoing struggles to pass the 'One Big Beautiful Bill' through Congress (and all the stuff that's actually IN the 'OBBB')? An immigration fight where the dominant images are protesters lighting cars on fire and clashing with the police? It's a TOTAL no-brainer. Don't believe me? Check out the full-court press Trump has put on to draw as much attention to the issue as possible over the last 24 hours, via his Truth Social feed. Here's just one(of many) examples: Trust me, this is 100% a fight he wants. And he will egg it on in all possible ways over the coming days—as a way to keep it in the news. (I'd argue the decision to call up the California National Guard without even consulting California Gov. Gavin Newsom is an example of how Trump is working to turn up the heat.) And it appears as though Democratic elected officials are willing to play along. Newsom's weird come-arrest-me threat on MSNBC on Sunday night felt tone-deaf. And speaking of tone-deaf, California Rep. Maxine Waters' comments—'I don't know why we have guns. What are those guns for? Are they to shoot protesters?'—feel decidedly out of step with the images we are seeing of the protests on TV. Politics, as I have said many times before, is about picking your battles. It's about fighting on ground that is favorable for you—and unfavorable for your opponent. Like him or hate him, Trump gets that. He knows a fight about deportations defined by burning cars and anti-police graffiti is a winner for him. Democrats need to think this way if they want to beat Trump and the broader Republican party. Fighting Trump on ground where the public is clearly on his side makes ZERO sense. Want more ball and strike calling—no matter what uniform the batter at the plate is wearing? Check out Chris Cillizza's Substack and YouTube channel.