(JollofNews) – West African troops have extended their military mission in Gambia by one year after entering the country in January to force out longtime ruler Yahya Jammeh, regional bloc ECOWAS said on Monday.
About 500 ECOWAS troops remain in Gambia of the original 7,000 that crossed over from neighboring Senegal to compel Jammeh to go into exile and leave the presidency to Adama Barrow, who defeated him in a December election.
Soldiers from the mission, known as ECOMIG, came under attack last Friday by locals in Jammeh’s native village of Kanilai, Interior Minister Mai Ahmed Fatty said in a televised statement, underscoring unresolved tensions from Jammeh’s 22-year rule.
One of the demonstrators demanding the departure of ECOMIG and state troops was killed in the clashes, and security forces made 22 arrests, Fatty said.
The tiny country of 2 million people is trying to rebuild its economy and obtain justice for victims of Jammeh’s government, which is accused of torturing and killing perceived opponents.
Separately, ECOWAS’s 15 member states gave preliminary approval to Morocco’s bid to join the bloc “because of (its) strong and multi-dimensional links of cooperation with West Africa”, ECOWAS said in a statement.
Courtesy of Reuters
(Reporting By Pap Saine in Banjul and Alberto Dabo in Bissau; Writing by Aaron Ross; Editing by Mark Trevelyan)
The armies will stay for years
Arabs (Moroccans), The Englishman has a saying “never trust an A-rab” coming from an Englishman, that’s saying something. But I can’t understand how the A-rabs came into Africa as a guest and now their the host? And they are still conquering? West Africa coast is buff with oil, which Senegal has laid claims too, regardless of who’s waters(country) it is in,(sounds a bit like Israel and Palestine) How did they(A-rabs) manage to pull off that trick? Africans must love what the A-rabs are doing to them? It must feel good, how many years now? Original African God blessed us with everything and we exchanged our God for what? Poverty.
A MODEST RECOMMENDATIONS ON THE THE ECOMIG FORCES IN THE GAMBIA, FONI AND KANILAI:
ECOWAS’ EXTENSION OF ECOMIG FORCES STATIONED IN THE GAMBIA, MORE ACCURATELY IN FONI AND ESPECIALLY KANILAI FOR A TWELVE MONTH PERIOD (One Year), if not Reconstituted and Restructured and with Clearly Defined INSTRUCTIONS, Transparent and With Strickly Defined Operation Mandates would be Doomed a Failure. It would Manage to Achieve little and yet Manage to Alienate All but a few Gambians in the end. Peace Keeping Forces or Occupation Forces Depending on how one Perceives the Foreign Military Forces within Ones Country or Community have a History of Over Reacting and Behaving Badly, if they are not given Clearly Defined Operations Protocol with Human Rights Mandates Components. The Barrow regime or the Gambians if the regime Neglects or Shirks its Responsibility, should Coalesce to Monitor and Evaluate the ECOMIG FORCES and Gambian Forces’ Performance in Foni and Kanilai on a Frequent and Sustained Basis. NGOs and The Gambia Press, the Legal Practioners, their Associations and Other Stake Holders have a Responsibility, Duty as Citizens or as Individuals or Organizations who Love and Care about the Welfare and Security of every Gambian to help Mitigate the Burden and Problems Created by the ECOMIG FORCES OCCUPATION AND PATROLS IN FONI AND KANILAI. Significantly, given the implications of the Opague Nature of how the Gambia in the past and present have been Operating, ECOWAS, AU AND UN Representatives Owe it to the Gambian People to have Permanent Observers to Monitor the ECOMIG FORCES in their daily Operations and During the Carrying Out of their Mandates and Proscribed Tasks. Care and Sensitivity Should be applied to how the ECOMIC FORCES’ Patrols are Configured and Carried Out. All Patrols should have among the Units a Jola who is Trusted by both Parties and has very good Command of the Jola language. There should be at least three in each Unit if the Unit is Twenty or more. If less than that, there should be at least two in Decreasing Order to at least One Jola Soldier to every Five Soldiers to not only act as interpreters but also Act as Unit Liaison Officers with the Foni Jola Residents. My Modest Plea to the Presidency, Minister of Interior, NAMS and all Reading this to Please Advocate For the implementation of these Reconciliation and Reconstruction Recommendations or Suggestions. These are made to help Stem the Bleeding and Loss of Lives in the Gambia. Gambians must reach out to each other to Embrace and Emote Together and Unite to Pull Themselves up from the Cess pool of Impunity and Nativism Wee have been Subjected to in the Past and is again Manifesting and Proliferating at and Disconcerting, if not at an Alarming level or rate. My Thoughts and Words are my Contribution to help Mitigate and hopefully end the “Killings of Gambians in the Name of Security”. For the dead, no Security, for the living insecurity? Let’s Turn over a New Leaf of Appreciation of the Living and not the Celebration of the Dead. Gambians must insist that No More killings in their Name. One People, One Destiny.