(JollofNews) – Authorities in the Gambia have rounded up a number of soldiers accused of engaging in mutinous, defamatory, scandalous and unethical acts against the government of President Adama Barrow.
The number of soldiers arrested and detained is not known but the military high command said they are part of a group using WhatsApp to post audio recordings critical of the government.
Army spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Omar B Bojang said the content of the postings by soldiers described as ‘disgruntled elements’ are mutinous, defamatory, scandalous, unethical and against the military code of conduct.
“As soldiers once we accept to serve in the armed forces we surrender certain privileges and rights. This is done to ensure that command and control is made easier. This is why upon enlistment, every soldier signs a declaration as enshrined in the Gambia Armed Forces Act 1985, Part 1, Section 22,” Lt Colonel Bojang said.
“The soldiers make a solemn and sincere declaration that “I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to the President of the Republic of the Gambia and obey his successor and the government of The Gambia. I will also obey all Orders, both written and verbal, given to me by my officers placed over me and subject myself to all Acts, Regulations and Standing Orders relating to the Gambia Armed Forces now in force or which may from time to time be brought into force for so long as I shall serve.”
He added: “Furthermore, it is also incumbent upon every serving member of the Gambia Armed Forces to sign the Official Secret Act, which barred every serving member/or upon retirement not to make any unauthorised disclosure in material published in a speech, lecture or radio or television broadcast, or in press or in book form.
“I am aware that I should not divulge any information gained by me as a result of my appointment to any unauthorised person, either orally or in writing, without the previous officials sanction in writing of my head of Department.
“I understand also that I am liable to be prosecuted if I publish without officials sanction any information i may acquire in the course of my tenure of an official appointment (unless it has already officially been made public) or retain without official sanction any sketch plan, model, article, note or officials documents which are no longer needed for my officials duties and that these provisions apply not only during the period of my appointment but also my appointment has ceased or I have retired.”
The detained soldiers are yet to be charged but Lt Colonel Bojang said they helping with the investigation.
Although it is illegal under the constitution to detain an accused person beyond 72 hours without charge, authorities in the Gambia often use the Armed Forces Act which allows the indefinite detention of soldiers accused of criminality pending the outcome of an investigation.
Meanwhile, the Gambia Armed Forces has assured the general public that it remains focused, intact, vigilant and will continue to deliver the noble services to keep the country secured and peaceful.
“We will continue to bring about the needed reform and structuring programs that are required to make the Gambia Armed Forces more responsive to the needs and aspirations of Gambians especially in this new democratic dispensation,” Lt Colonel Bojang added.
“The Gambia Armed Forces will continue to embark on training programs, threat assessment and analysis both internally and externally to ensure a more robust and professional force that would be able to counter any threats both within or outside the Gambia.”
A march in the right direction. The sooner reform is done the sooner the Foreign soldiers can leave.
You are right Mr Scales with need carefully managed program of reformed in the army. The army under Yaya has ethnic allegiance uppermost in their military philosophy and are not professional. We need an army that respect our democracy and uphold the sacrosanctity of protecting our constitution irrespective of whose tribe is in power. Peaceful democratic is the vehicle that drive the core principles of democracy and ones that can be impeded by a certain force, that becomes subversive democracy and coup of the voice of the people.
Let the mutinous soldiers know they are not bigger than those who pay them and they cannot maintain the same mentality for 22 years, a mentality that hail tribal allegiance to Yaya jammeh.
As a concern Gambian living abroad I just want everyone in the Gambia to know that the Gambia is heading on a very dangerous way since the coalition government take over,. But we all know the coalition was then later hijacked by certain individuals for their own interests. . We mandingos think we win and now we the Mandingo’s rules . I just want us stop the tribalism we the Mandingo’s are bringing to the Gambia and blaming the tribalism to other tribes. Many of us the Mandingo’s what we are planning will turn back on us.. all the meeting we secretly do and ask our people to buy cutlasses knives axes to keep in our home .. and plan to attack the wollof and the jolas is a very stupid idea . I was surprised when my own family ask me to sent them money to buy weapons to keep and when I ask why my own family told me we the Mandingo’s have plans to attack the wollof and the jolas and kill them this is a very stupid Idea . I just want to make it clear we the Mandingo’s did not own the Gambia our majority is very small compared to the wollof in Senegal and Gambia and the jolas in Gambia and cassamance we the Mandingo’s have no back up all our population s in Gambia there is only few Mandingo’s in cassamance there for I am warning all my fellow Mandingo’s to refrain from the tribalism we are creating and blaming it to the jolas or the wollof. We all know Mai fatty , ousainou darbor and many of the authorities in this new government are very corrupt but because the are Mandingo’s what ever they do wrong or right we the Mandingo’s support it . Hei hallo remember soon there will be another election and we the Mandingo’s will lose and what ever we think we do now will come back to hunt us down with Ur families. My advice to all the Mandingo’s is stop the secret meetings and stop asking the youths to but axes, cutlasses knives and other weapons .. the Gambia belongs to all the tribes if we don’t refrain the act we are planning in the Gambia the pain will be ours and we the mandinkas will regret any move we take because we are the only tribe in Gambia that brings tribalism since Jawara era we haven’t changed is time for us to change out attitude before is too late for us.
Fabakary Tombong,
You should find a school nearby you in abroad and educate yourself. You are the most dangerous uneducated tribal minded being since Yayha Jammeh who gathered elders and insulted them by their tribes. Mandinkas for your information, are wide spread over the whole subregion and not just Senegal and the Gambia. If Mandinkas despite their presence all over the subregion want to oppress any minority ethnic group by waging war, they will learn their bitter lesson that, Africans now want to live together for progress and not for tribes’ sake. The same applies to any other tribe who may attempt to oppress or carry out atrocities against other tribes. Every one definitely, will lose in a war but the ones who wage it as their ultimate solution to their problems will be ultimately diminished to nothingness. To be exceedingly tribal in your views within a country, you are growing itches and pains in your heart hence blaming others for what you should be blamed for. Hiding in the bushes with rifles is not a modern war strategy. When peaceful people become fed up with being lurked by savagely armed people, they will resort to defending themselves with modern war strategies that will be really really bad for the lurkers and history in general. Just keep up with your art of menace to a sub-regional peace.
Well said Mr Darboe; precisely correct.
Some of these soldiers are wasting their time, the will of the people cannot be compromised,they are just wasting their time we are in the modern century those days are over for over throwing legitimate government . They will be surprise if they attempts any kind of destabilising a country at a time of peace.
Can someone explain this to me. I don’t get it. Gambia is broke, we are spending a huge chunk of money we don’t have to feed unprofessional cowards, that capitulated at the first sign of real danger, and no sane person in the country in a position of leadership is publicly advocating for dismantling of this criminal enterprise.
God Help Us!
Am a concern Kenyan.Be warned ,beware of the concequences that comes after ethnic war.We had it in Kenya in the year 2017 and up now it has not healed.please dont fall a victim
Mr Touray; Yours is a very serious commentary that everyone should take seriously.
Dr Sarr: your commentary with questions, is all too familiar a situation…. to 1994.
What is sown is what is reaped; Let not this harvest be full of danger. President Barrow must be firm but fair to all.
Fabakary Tombong Touray…? Your name speaks volumes…an aprc Fabricating Wolf in sheep cloth…?
Your “own family asked you money for knives…”; instead of food…???
You the EVIL DEVIL Advocates (tribal-impersonators) thinks, with all your LIES & EVILNESS, that God Almighty too is sleeping alongside the innocent peasantry humanity…???
Contrary to whatever EVIL you MURDEROUS kanilai DEVIL INCARNATES, DISCIPLES &/ ASSOCIATES wishing for your very own selves (& not Gambia); the Gambia is here to prevail & consolidate progress from the MURDEROUS 22 years of syndola TYRANNY, BARBARITIES &/ THIEVERIES…
It’s the syndola mfdc MERCENARIES who are the certified butchers wanting knives & sort; burying landmines in the Cassamace, Foni areas & surrounding…
DEVILS of your kind & likes; just like the thing called yaya Dracula jammeh have NO place in human society; it’s just the yoke for your likes (at the moment); which is just some soft cushion; the actual weighty load is yet to follow…
God will continue to bless Gambia & humanity; Insha Allah; Ameen.
Fabakary Tombong Touray you are the biggest liar I ever see. Where did you get that information that mandinkas are buying weapons to attack other tribes. Stop this slandering and nonsenses, Gambians are one and love each other. Am a mandingoo but my wife is a Serer and we have been married for ten years. You are not even a Mandinka and besides it doesn’t matter what tribe you are, we are one people. Let’s put end to this nonsense, people like are embark on starting ethnic conflicts but InshaAllah by the grace of Allah that will never happen in Gambia