President Adama Barrow has firmly rejected recent accusations by former President Yahya Jammeh, who claimed the current government is secretly working with Senegal to steal and sell The Gambia’s oil resources.
Addressing members of Tabital Fulaagu, a Fula cultural group, during a community gathering on Saturday, President Barrow dismissed the claims as politically motivated and detached from reality.
“They say The Gambia has oil and that I joined other governments to steal it,” Barrow said. “Even in a dream, such a thing makes no sense. If we had oil, with the vision I have for this country, The Gambia would be like Dubai by now.”
Barrow added that such allegations are a distraction, aimed at confusing the public ahead of the country’s next electoral cycle. “Sometimes, when people have nothing left to say, these are the kinds of things they invent,” he said.
The comments come days after Jammeh, in an audio message circulated online, alleged that The Gambia holds vast untapped oil reserves—comparable to those of Saudi Arabia and Venezuela. He claimed that during his presidency, his government spent around $4 million exploring oil in partnership with a Canadian firm. He also questioned Senegal’s own lack of confirmed oil reserves, saying that if they existed, they would have already been exploited by France.
Jammeh, who has been in exile in Equatorial Guinea since 2017, frequently releases statements accusing the Barrow administration of corruption and betrayal of national interests. His latest message has sparked debate online, with some of his supporters echoing the claims and others calling them far-fetched.
Barrow, however, appeared unmoved. “If their prayers are answered and we find oil, they will never return to power,” he said. “I will work so hard that they will be afraid to show their faces.”
