The Gambia Faces Protests Over Prolonged Power Cuts

According to the BBC, President Adama Barrow urged The Gambia's citizens to stay calm over prolonged power cuts and said the country was not alone in facing an electricity crisis affecting parts of West Africa. He said a new 24-megawatt generating unit was being installed at the Brikama power station and would be commissioned by the end of next month, while a contract had also been awarded for a 50MW solar power plant in Soma. Police used tear gas to disperse protesters in Banjul and surrounding areas on Monday night after residents took to the streets over blackouts that they said had sometimes lasted up to 48 hours. Barrow said the outages were a national security issue and an emergency, acknowledged shortcomings in planning, generation and maintenance, and warned against damaging public infrastructure. Nawec chief Gallo Saidy said reduced electricity imports from the regional grid and lower rainfall had contributed to the shortages.