He raised this concern on Wednesday 17 December 2025 at Mandinaba during a rally in his ongoing nationwide tour ahead of the December 5, 2026 presidential election.
He emphasised that back-way migration has continued to snatch countless numbers of lives of not only male youths but also lactating mothers who as well venture into the back-way journey where so many lives have continued to perish in either the Mediterranean Sea or the Sahara Desert.
“If the boat is about to capsize, the mother would want to grab the baby just to save the child from drowning, but eventually both mother and child and all those in the boat would at the end get drowned in the sea,” he lamented.
He said The Gambia has witnessed the worst, by seeing not only Gambian youth die in this journey, but also breastfeeding mothers and their lactating babies in unsafe boats through the Mediterranean Sea.
The rally in Mandinaba also discussed significant aspects including rising unemployment rate, land security, economic activities, quality education, agriculture and the dangers of illegal migration.
The tour continues today, Friday 19 December, with a grand rally at Buffer Zone in the Kanifing Municipal Council. The rally is expected to climax tomorrow, Saturday 20 December 2025, and wrap up at the Alh. Kebba Touray Junction, Tobacco Road in Banjul.
The ongoing tour is part of the UDP’s commitment to engage communities directly, listen to concerns of Gambians across all regions, and share the party’s vision for a democratic, prosperous, and united Gambia.
Darboe was accompanied by senior party officials, National Assembly Members, regional executives, youth and women leaders.
At the Mandinaba rally, Darboe also assured that if voted into office in December 2026, a “UDP government will change things for the better”. He further promised that “immediately after the 2026 UDP presidential victory” his government would execute better plans for the people of The Gambia.
Speaking further on the significance of national unity, Darboe stresses the unity of all ethnic groups of The Gambia, emphasising that “the UDP is not a Mandinka party, but a party for all Gambians with a clear agenda".
He said he being a Mandinka does not make the UDP a Mandinka party. “Gambian Fulas, Manjagos, Jolas, Mandinkas or Jolas, are all equal in this country,” he reaffirmed.
Darboe also emphasised the need for a new city, saying Kombo East could be the right place, and urges the people of Kombo East to properly safeguard their lands with proper planning.
He concluded that Kombo East is the potential candidate for a new city in The Gambia and thus urged its residents not to sell their lands, predicting a huge development in the near future for Kombo East.
