Members of Gamcoy 9, led by Col Serign Modou Njie, on Wednesday morning around 1:00am, left the Banjul International Airport for a peacekeeping mission in the Sudanese region of Darfur.

The contingent, comprising of 196 soldiers, of whom 10 are female, were seen off by the chief of Staff of the Gambia Armed Forces, Brigadier General Yakuba Drammeh, on behalf of the chief of Defence Staff, Lieutenant General Langtombong Tamba. Addressing the contingent shortly before their departure, Brigadier General Yakuba Drammeh told the gallant soldiers that a lot is expected from them, describing the mission as a noble one.

"You are expected to bring life to the lifeless; bring hope to the hopeless. You must also remember the dos and the don'ts in the mission area. You must respect the laws, traditions, customs, beliefs and practices of the host country. It is very important," Army chief of staff Drammeh told the contingent.

"Secondly,you must treat the people with utmost respect and dignity as you interact with them on a daily basis. Remember, if you treat them with respect, they in turn will treat you with respect and dignity. Respect is reciprocal," he added.

"You must exhibit a high sense of neutrality, impartiality and you should desist from any act that has the tendency to tarnish the image and credibility of the mission and by extension, The Gambia as a nation. You must work together as a team. It is not a one-man show. It's all about collective efforts. The Gambian Armed Forces has a reputation for being a disciplined institution and a formidable force. This was made possible by your predecessors in the past peace support missions and you must keep up the momentum," he advised.

He finally prayed for God's guidance and protection for the contingent and wished them all the best in their endeavours. Colonel Serign Modou Njie, the contigent commander, thanked the Almighty Allah for giving them the strength to serve in such a humanitarian mission. He also thanked the Gambian leader, His Excellency Sheikh Professor Alhaji Dr Yahya Jammeh and the chief of defence staff for the trust and confidence bestowed on them to represent The Gambian.

He expressed optimism that his contingent will perform well. Corporal Sohna Badjie, who also spoke, expressed similar sentiments.