Africa-Press – Gambia. The National Assembly Member (NAM) for Foni Kansala, Almameh Gibba, has accused Senegalese troops serving under the ECOWAS Mission in The Gambia (ECOMIG) of acting beyond their mandate in the Foni area.
Speaking during a dialogue held on Saturday between state authorities and residents of Foni, Gibba alleged that the Senegalese contingent had been involved in a series of actions that, he said, had negatively affected the local population. These, according to him, include incidents of killings, cross-border shelling, and what he described as a preventable accident at the Bwiam ECOMIG military checkpoint.
The meeting was convened under the auspices of the Gambia Armed Forces High Command and was attended by senior military officers, including Colonel Bah, Lt. Col. Kukuteh Manneh and Lt. Col. Sarr, representatives of ECOMIG and the Senegalese peacekeeping forces, NAM Kebba Tumani Sanneh of Foni Jarrol, Chief Ali Nyassi of Foni Kansala, ward councillors and 42 village heads (Alkalolu) from across the Foni districts.
Gibba alleged that Senegalese soldiers had engaged in activities such as the seizure of logs, firewood and charcoal, which he said fell outside their peacekeeping responsibilities.
“The Senegalese soldiers in Foni are acting like forestry officers,” Gibba said, adding that he had previously raised the issue with the Defence and Security Council, warning that the situation in the area was becoming untenable.
He further claimed that there was evidence of shelling allegedly fired from Senegal into Foni, which he said disrupted daily life and forced the closure of schools for an extended period. According to him, some Grade Nine students were unable to sit for their examinations as scheduled.
The lawmaker also recounted an incident he said he witnessed involving a senior Gambian police officer, Pateh Jallow, and Senegalese troops between the villages of Bajagarr and Arangallen. He said Officer Jallow questioned the soldiers on whether the seizure of forest products was part of their mandate and urged them to allow such responsibilities to be handled by Gambian security agencies.
Gibba said he reported the incident to the Minister of Interior, the National Security Adviser and the Director General of the State Intelligence Services (SIS), presenting it as further evidence of what he termed the “maltreatment” of residents by Senegalese troops.
He also cited the killings of Haruna Jatta and Abdoulie Badjie as incidents that heightened his concerns and those of the communities he represented.
According to the lawmaker, government authorities appealed for additional time to address the situation and assured him that appropriate measures would be taken.
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