By Bakary Ceesay
The Minister of Defence Sheikh Omar Faye and the Chief of Defence Staff Gambia Armed Forces Lieutenant General Masanneh N Kinteh continue on their nationwide tour to Military installations in The Gambia.
The tour has started on in the North Bank Region on 29th October, 2019 following a trip to Njongon and Kerewan with the aimed to familiarize the Honourable Minister with GAF deployments and to have a first-hand impression of the current state of both living and working conditions of members of the Armed Forces and their families.
On 30th October, 2019 they visited Lamin Koto, Military installations to after engagements in Farafenni (2Bn) Headquarters.
The Honourable Minister has availed himself the opportunity to listen to the
concerns of the troops at this location and had brief engagements with elders
of the community as well.
On 5th November, 2019 the Minister of Defence Sheikh Omar Faye and the Chief of Defence Staff (GAF) Lieutenant General Masanneh N Kinteh paid a courtesy call on the Governor of Lower River Region (LRR) Madam Rohey John after engagements with troops of the 3 Infantry Battalion (Basse) in Upper River Region.
Earlier on, the Minister of Defence Sheikh Omar Faye on 6th September 2019 paid a courtesy call on the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Lieutenant General Masanneh N Kinteh at the Defence Headquarters in Banjul.
Mr. Faye was received by the Army Commander Brigadier General Mamat O Cham, Commander Gambia Navy, Directors, Senior and Junior Officers of the Defence Headquarters of the Gambia Armed Forces after receiving a splendid quarter guard mounted by the Guards Battalion personnel.
General Kinteh said apart from familiarising the Minister with their deployments, the other purpose of the tour is to see the working and living conditions of their troops and families as well as the challenges they have with their logistics.
The CDS added they are also doing the tour to gather facts and put them together in the form of a comprehensive report and find ways and means of tackling the problems they come across during the tour.
“We expect that it is going to be a much better outcome after the tour,” he said.
He said their first engagement they meet the Ghanaian contingents deployed as (ECOMIG) forces in The Gambia in the North Bank Region.
Mr. Kinteh said they believe that as part of good practice and good governance, it is always necessary to be able to engage themselves at different levels of command so that they get to know plans.
“This is an opportunity where they can air their views and also an opportunity where we can transmit the message of the transformation agenda that we have for GAF”, said the CDS.
He said they had an opportunity to engage members of the communities and learn from them how the Army is doing their work and how they can advise them to serve them better.
Sheikh Omar Faye Defence Minister said his priority is to implement the security sector reform, ensure that The Gambia is a safe place and one of the best places in the world.
“We want the Gambia to stabilize and be peaceful so that there will be development,” he said.
He said ECOMIG are in The Gambia to help as they did in Liberian, Sudan, Darfur and other places.
“They are part of the system and globalized world,” he said
Mr. Faye said they are looking at the territorial integrity of the Gambia and that they are looking at everything to ensure that they update on their gains and make sure that Gambians are informed.
The tour is subsequently hope to continue to other similar locations throughout the country especially in the Greater Banjul area and West Coast Region.
