By Omar Mboob, Coordinator of World BEYOND War Gambia Chapter, June 2, 2025
On May 31, 2025 at Fajara in The Gambia, a new wave of youth peace advocates emerged as a result of the collaboration of the World BEYOND War (WBW) Gambia and Cameroon chapters, which hosted the Gambia Youth Peace Forum on Killer Robots. The event brought together fifty participants, including youth leaders, students, civil society actors, educators, parliamentarians, journalists and peace activists, united to speak out against the growing threat of autonomous weapons systems, the killer robots.
The forum marked a turning point in The Gambia’s contribution to the global movement for ethical technology and disarmament. It helped to raise public awareness about the risks posed by weapons and autonomous in particular, while empowering youth to conduct advocacy for national action and international policy change. Organized under the theme “Stop Weapons, Stop Wars”, The forum created a dynamic space for presentations, discussion and action, focusing particularly on the importance of political engagement and governance to ensure a global action to stop the war machine and promote peaceful alternatives.
The forum’s agenda was rich and engaging, featuring keynote speeches and presentations from three prominent voices. In his video opening remarks, Africa Organizer of WBW, Guy Feugap emphasized on the movement’s approach to ending wars through education, action and media. Mariama Sanneh, a youth leader and development studies student, highlighted the unique role that young people can play in disarmament through innovation, digital mobilization, and education. Member of Parliament Hon. Abdoulie Njai delivered a compelling call for national legislation to ban killer robots and encouraged young people to work closely with decision-makers to influence international treaties. Youth Councilor Hon. Kemo Bojang brought a cultural perspective to the table, reminding participants of the importance of Gambian values such as solidarity, dignity and dialogue in guiding ethical responses to technological threats.
Participants were actively involved throughout in breakout discussions and a lively questions and answers session. They discussed the ethical consequences of delegating life-and-death decisions to machines, discussed strategies to strengthen youth advocacy both nationally and globally and proposed ways to integrate peace and disarmament education into schools and community programs. The forum succeeded in making every participant a contributor to the larger vision of a peaceful, just and ethically governed future.
One of the most powerful outcomes of the forum was the collective development of a set of recommendations. Participants called for a youth-led national awareness campaign on the dangers of weapons and autonomous weapons and stronger partnerships between youth groups and policymakers. They expanded outreach to regions beyond the capital to ensure the message of peace reaches every corner of the country. There was a sense of momentum and unity, with participants eager to continue building the movement.
The World BEYOND War Gambia Chapter is committed to sustaining this momentum. Organizers plan to expand the initiative to other regions, incorporate the forum’s recommendations into ongoing education and advocacy programs and maintain close communication with policymakers to push for legislative change. The fight against killer robots is far from over but this forum has shown that young Gambians are ready to lead it.
As the event concluded, the atmosphere was filled with hope and determination, with the message that the future must not belong to machines that kill without conscience, it must belong to people who stand for peace, human rights, and justice.
Remarks from World BEYOND War Africa Organizer Gey Feugap:
