Gambia: Defence Ministry Assures Protection of Lives, Properties

25 April 2023
The Point (Banjul)

The attention of the Ministry of Defence (MOD) has been drawn to social media reports and other sources in town that the ECOMIG forces stationed in Foni Kansala District, West Coast Region, are preventing residents in and around the District from accessing their rice fields/farms. Accordingly, the MOD deemed it fitting and prudent to investigate these reports to verify their authenticity in order to determine the appropriate course of action to take as a matter of urgency.

The MOD wishes to inform the general public that it had engaged the Command of the ECOMIG Forces in The Gambia on the matter with a view to establishing the veracity of the reports. It has to be emphasised that the Ministry takes any threat to the safety and security of lives and properties as well as the territorial integrity of this country very seriously. In light of the above, the ECOMIG Command has informed the Ministry that their Forces do not have the authority to prevent any citizen of The Gambia especially residents in Foni Kansala District from accessing or working on their farms.

The deployment of troops, especially those of 4 Infantry Battalion in Kanilai and other satellite villages was informed by the level of insecurity around The Gambia's southern border with Senegal. It is in this same spirit that there are other deployments of personnel of the Gambia Armed Forces (GAF) throughout the country.

It is gratifying to report that the GAF and other sister Security Services such as the Gambia Police Force and ECOMIG continue to maintain very cordial relations through the conduct of joint patrols and training exercises. All these are geared towards protecting lives and properties and also to enhance cooperation and collaboration among them.

Troops of GAF 4 Infantry Battalion would continue to ensure the safety and security of lives and properties within their Area of Responsibility (AOR) through the conduct of vigorous patrols. This is with the aim of restoring confidence so that citizens living in this region of the country could go about their daily activities without fear.

The Ministry wishes to reassure citizens of this country of its commitment to the protection of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of this country through our gallant men and women - The Gambia Armed Forces. Therefore, owners of the rice fields/farms in and around Foni Kansala and its environs are encouraged to go about their daily farming activities. They are also encouraged to report anyone that tries to prevent them from accessing their farms to the nearest Police Station or to the Commander of the 4 Infantry Battalion in Kanilai.

Read the original article on The Point.

Tagged:
Copyright © 2023 The Point. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.

AllAfrica publishes around 500 reports a day from more than 100 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals, representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct.

Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica. To address comments or complaints, please Contact us.