A Gambian pressure group calling themselves the “Three Years Jotna” (Three Years are Up) movement have been denied permit by the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to hold another protest barely a month after taking to the streets to demand that President Adama Barrow step down.
In a letter to the group seen by APA on Tuesday, the police said it would not grant TYM their wish “due to compelling national security and public safety concerns”.
The Gambia police said the decision was reached after what it called meticulous security assessment, monitoring and intelligence gathering, which render a demonstration by the group risky for national peace and tranquility.
By denying the group a permit to hold a second protest in four weeks, the police said it was acting in accordance with Section 178 of the 1997 constitution which mandates it to protect life and properties as well as maintain law and order.
The Three Years Jotna movement is looking to take to the streets a second time in one month to call on President Barrow to fulfill an election campaign promise he made to Gambians in 2016 that he was going to step down after a three-year transition period.
The Gambian constitution guarantees a five-year term for an elected president.
Barrow defeated long term ruler Yahya Jammeh in elections three years ago but has faced increasingly pressure from the Three Years Jotna movement to remain true to his word.
Thousands of protesters had responded to the movement’s call to occupy the streets on December 16 last year after the police granted them a permit to hold such a demonstration.
Last Sunday, a group backing Barrow’s decision to go for a full five-year term held a demonstration which attracted tens of thousands of Gambians from across the country.
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http://apanews.net/en/pays/gambie/news/gleanings-from-gambias-anti-barrow-protests
EJ/as/APA