Claim: State Counsel Alieu Gibba claims that since 2017, no media house has been arbitrarily shut down by President Adama Barrow’s government.
Verdict: False. DUBAWA’s investigation discovered that two private radio stations were shut down for covering a protest demanding that the president step down in honour of the three-year coalition agreement.
Full Text
In a statement addressing the freedom of press, speech, and media in The Gambia on behalf of the government during the 87th Ordinary Session of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR), at the Sir Dawda Jawara International Conference Centre, on May 18, 2026, State Counsel Alieu Gibba asserted that no media house has been arbitrarily shut down since 2017.
“Since 2017, no media house has been arbitrarily shut down,” Counsel Gibba stated. Given the context in which this claim was made, DUBAWA aims to fact-check its validity, especially as journalists continue to encounter difficulties in their work. Watch from 00: 05:08 to 00:05:15.
Considering the impact this may have as the speaker was representing Gambia at the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights in Banjul, DUBAWA deemed it fit to verify, as different media recorded the session.
Verification
Our fact checker conducted a comprehensive examination of incidents and found evidence of media houses being closed under the current administration for broadcasting a protest during the coalition government’s period.
On January 26, 2020, the Gambian government ordered the immediate closure of two private radio stations following the “Three Years Jotna” (Three Years is Enough) protests.
These protests called for President Adama Barrow to fulfil his initial campaign promise to resign after three years.
The affected media houses were King FM 94.7, which was shut down, and whose manager and a reporter were detained.
The other station, Home Digital FM, was also closed, and its owner was arrested during police actions.
The government defended the closures by accusing the stations of “peddling incendiary messages” and “inciting violence.” Security forces reportedly entered the premises, forced the stations off the air, and arrested staff members.
Conclusion
Based on the evidence available, the assertion by State Counsel Alieu Gibba that no media house has been arbitrarily shut down in The Gambia since 2017 is inaccurate.
Evidence shows that two private radio stations were closed in 2020 for broadcasting a protest calling for President Adama Barrow to step down after three years.