By: Fatou Krubally
UDP leader ANM Ousainu Darboe has called for Africans to unite or risk perishing, saying “We must unite now or perish.”
He made the call on Africa Liberation Day, (May 25th) while urging African nations to urgently free themselves from foreign domination and internal failure.
In a powerful statement, the veteran politician says Africa is being undermined by neo-colonial control and a lack of visionary leadership.
“We must unite now or perish,” Darboe declared, quoting Pan-African icon Kwame Nkrumah. His message, while celebrating the founding fathers of the OAU, carried a sharp critique of the current state of the continent.
“Our sovereignty is still compromised,” he said. “Neo-colonial forces continue to manipulate our resources and politics.”
Darboe cited Burkina Faso’s recent pushback against foreign influence as evidence of a broader continental struggle. He warned that Africa’s progress was being sabotaged by external control and domestic governance failures.
“Africa must determine its destiny, free from external dictates,” he stressed. “Nothing about us without us.”
He called for a bold move toward a single currency, a united continental army, and the free movement of people an Africa without colonial-era borders. “The AfCFTA is not enough. Economic liberation demands we go further,” he said.
Darboe also criticised aid dependency and corruption, calling instead for industrialisation and green growth. “We must reject aid that perpetuates dependency,” he noted.
To Africa’s youth, he offered a direct plea: “Reject the backway to Europe. Stay and build the Africa we deserve.”
Linking The Gambia’s future to that of the continent, Darboe reminded Gambians of their responsibility to Pan-African ideals. He evoked the memory of Solo Sandeng as a symbol of the fight for justice and unity.
“Africa’s destiny is in our hands,” he said. “Let us be bold, let us be united and let no foreign interest dictate our path.”
