Gambia police arrested a journalist on Friday after he published claims that President Adama Barrow was planning to step down ahead of the 2026 election.
Journalist Momodou Darboe wrote in The Voice newspaper that Barrow was “working on an exit plan” and had chosen businessman Muhammed Jah as his successor.
The article sparked swift reactions from the president’s legal team, who labelled the claims “defamatory” and “outrageous.”
On Thursday, both Darboe and The Voice editor Musa Sheriff were arrested, with Sheriff later released on bail.
Darboe has been charged with false publication and broadcasting, accused of spreading misleading information meant to cause public alarm.
The Gambian police assured that while press freedom is respected, responsible journalism is essential for maintaining public order.
Meanwhile, President Barrow, addressing the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday, praised The Gambia’s record on press freedom, stating that since 2017, no political prisoners or journalists had been jailed.
However, the Gambia Press Union urged the president to drop legal threats against The Voice, seeing them as harmful to press freedom.
Since the fall of former dictator Yahya Jammeh in 2017, media freedom has significantly improved in The Gambia, with criminal penalties for defamation ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in 2018.