By Amadou Jadama on tour
On the first day of his tour of the country, the Chief of Defence Staff Lieutenant General Mamat O Cham has advised men and women of the armed forces not to allow themselves to be carried away by government critics who want to poison their minds about the West African troops in the country.
Speaking at Njongon and Kerr Pateh military posts, Cham called on his colleagues to ignore allegations that government has sidelined Gambian soldiers and prioritises only Ecomig troops to be in charge of the country’s security.
CDS Cham observed that in recent days some people have started unnecessary comments about the armed forces, ‘crafting their comments in a bid to poison our minds.’
“Anybody who cares about the truth will accept that
eighty- percent of the soldiers at the State House are Gambians and we go there regularly for meetings and I have never seen any Ecomig soldier come near those meetings. So how can they take our sovereignty? The mandate of the Ecomig is very clear. We had a political impasse and that’s why they came here to restore peace under Ecowas in the interest of peace in the region. They are not here to dominate or occupy us,” the army chief told his colleagues.
He reminded the soldiers that GAF too had participated in foreign missions and could go to another mission.
“We know what we are doing and we are not slaves or subordinates to any outside power. We are a sovereign state and it is part of our duties as soldiers to obey command,” he said.
CDS Cham pointed out that since the restoration of democracy the policy has been to create a very lawful and purposeful army which will be apolitical and serve the country and her people.
“This is the best practice everywhere. As soldiers, our politics is the armed forces,” he told his audience.
Speaking earlier, Brigadier Sait Njie commander of the Gambia National Army, advised soldiers to always maintain a high sense of discipline as laid down by the rules of the GAF.
He said soldiers must refrain from discussing politics on social media as that is not their role.
The army high command also took time to listen and respond to challenges and concerns raised by the soldiers ranging from uniforms, patrol vehicles, to communication gadgets among others. The tour continues.
