Kanifing Municipal Council (KMC) Mayor Talib Ahmed Bensouda expressed his shock at what he dubbed President Adama Barrow’s use of hate speech and slurs against party leader and United Democratic Party Secretary General lawyer Ousainu Darboe.

The president of the United Democratic Party has been criticized in speeches that have gone viral and been caught on audio and video. Both during a gathering in Barrow’s hometown of Mankamang Kunda and at the opening of his party’s regional office in Bansang, he made these comments.

The Kanifing mayor posted a critique of the president’s address on Facebook. He said that the president failed to mention all of the issues the nation is now experiencing. He listed particular issues including long-term poverty, increasing inflation, a lack of fundamental infrastructure, subpar healthcare, and inadequate access to water and power. He questioned why the president wasn’t doing more to address these issues.

“The Gambia is one of the most impoverished countries in the world, with widespread chronic poverty, spiraling inflation, a lack of basic infrastructure, insufficient access to healthcare, and inadequate water and energy supplies. Thousands of our jobless young are making perilous journeys to Europe in search of safety. We are dealing with growing internal instability, and most recently, two of our gallant police officers were brutally slain.Our president, who has repeatedly urged for national unity throughout the same year, nonetheless decides to use one of his few public appearances to spew hate speech and insults directed at lawyer Ousainu Darboe. We must improve as leaders! Work for the common good and put a stop to it. On his Facebook page, Talib Ahmed Bensouda expressed his disappointment.

Talib Ahmed Bensouda is the Organizing Secretary for the United Democratic Party and the Mayor of the Kanifing Municipal Council (KMC).