Gambia Goes After Deserted Soldiers

The alarming rate of attrition among Gambian soldiers has not only alerted the Jammeh government but also forces it to act, military sources told Kairo News.

The paranoid regime that limps with fears of an eminent attack has formed a board to look into why Gambian soldiers have been deserting in such huge numbers and what can be done to remedy the situation.

“An engineer of the Gambia Armed Forces, Major Momodou Sambou, has been assigned to chair the board. However, Major Sambou’s board was disappointed that six soldiers deserted as soon as the announcement was made,” our source said. “Different units sent letters to the army headquarters informing military administrators about the desertion.”

Most of the deserted soldiers have either traveled to Europe through the back way or fled into self-imposed exile abroad. “The board members have been paying visits to the families of deserted soldiers. They want to know what the deserted soldiers told their families before or after leaving the army,” said a military source whose family has been contacted. “The board’s mission also aimed at convincing the deserted soldiers to come back and serve the army.”

It is common for soldiers to go on absence without leave (awol) since the creation of Gambian army in 1984. However, the recent spate of desertion has worried the officials of a government that fear an imminent attack by the National Resistance Movement of The Gambia.

Our sources added that the former soldiers’ group has succeeded in causing sleepless nights for the Gambian leader.  “The government is scared of Alhagie Kanteh’s NRMG. The army is no longer an army; it’s only political as the Chief of Defense Staff cannot take decisions without getting approval from President Jammeh. The former CDS Masanneh Kinteh’s efforts to make reforms in the army have been blocked by President Jammeh,” our source alleged.

Ends