# ‘You’re not alone in the darkness’: Gambia president urges calm after blackout protests

https://mins.news/en/item/51001

- BBC News, 2026-09-09 06:42 UTC
- World
- Original: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cgmr22kpd9yo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss

> Prolonged power cuts sparked protests in Banjul and surrounding areas, with residents saying some outages lasted up to 48 hours. Police used tear gas to disperse demonstrators near the national electricity company. President Adama Barrow acknowledged failures in planning, generation and maintenance, and promised improved supplies by the end of October.

## Related coverage

- [Gambia bans unpermitted protests after unrest over power cuts](https://mins.news/en/item/54762) — Reuters, 2026-09-11
- [Gambian leader pledges to halt rolling blackouts as protests turn violent](https://mins.news/en/item/50677) — Al Jazeera, 2026-09-09