{"id":96542,"date":"2026-06-01T14:06:34","date_gmt":"2026-06-01T14:06:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/uncategorized\/why-did-gambias-army-chief-step-down"},"modified":"2026-06-03T16:03:31","modified_gmt":"2026-06-03T16:03:31","slug":"why-did-gambias-army-chief-step-down","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/why-did-gambias-army-chief-step-down","title":{"rendered":"Why did Gambia\u2019S Army Chief Step Down?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Gambia. <\/strong> <\/span>The Chief of Staff of the Gambian Armed Forces, General Mamad Cham, submitted his resignation at the end of last week, following weeks of ongoing allegations published by local sources regarding alleged corruption and abuse of office. President Adama Barrow accepted the resignation and appointed Major General Ousman Gomez as acting Chief of Staff.<\/p>\n

The roots of the crisis trace back to Sergeant Modou Sin, the former personal assistant to General Cham, who revealed a series of allegations supported by what he described as documentary evidence in extensive interviews. According to reports, Sin had a close connection with the Chief of Staff, as he completed personal and official tasks for him, until their relationship deteriorated after Sin received a reprimand for a protocol breach. Sin requested a transfer, which ultimately led to his early retirement.<\/p>\n

Among the most significant allegations reported was related to boats seized by the Gambian Navy from migrant smuggling networks. Sin claimed that Cham exploited his powers to acquire these boats at low prices in official auctions, then re-registered them in his name with the maritime authority and used them for private commercial fishing activities. Cham acknowledged in a phone interview that he owned a fishing boat, confirming that he paid around 250,000 dalasis (approximately $3,450) to a craftsman in the Tanje area for its construction, and that he purchased a second boat from the Navy through a legitimate business deal overseen by a committee under the naval chief, admitting that 50,000 dalasis (approximately $690) of its price remained unpaid.<\/p>\n

Another allegation reported by a local source was that Cham brought in an agricultural tractor under a shipment directed to the defense headquarters, then changed the recipient’s name on the bill of lading from “the Gambian Armed Forces” to his personal name, as revealed by a document signed by an officer on behalf of the Chief of Staff, indicating that the amendment was “necessary to ensure the accuracy of receipt and customs clearance.” The same source reported that Cham denied this claim entirely.<\/p>\n

Sin also revealed that Cham arranged for his son, who was 16 at the time, to be included in a military officer training program in Morocco designated for qualified recruits in June 2024, when Morocco granted the Gambian Armed Forces three training slots. Sin alleged that the slot for the “officer cadre course” was directed to the Chief of Staff’s son instead of being awarded to a qualified recruit, relying on what he described as a copy of a falsified appointment letter. Cham responded that his son spent four years at a military school in Saint Louis, Senegal, which he believed made him a suitable candidate for the program, without directly addressing the forgery allegation.<\/p>\n

Resignation Amidst a Wave of Public Anger<\/b><\/p>\n

This military scandal did not occur in a vacuum, as it coincided with widespread protests led by a local organization, which organized one of the largest anti-corruption demonstrations in Gambia’s recent history in July 2025, raising multiple issues including a suspicious oil deal with Russia, the Banjul port scandal, and criticisms of the management of seized assets from former President Yahya Jammeh.<\/p>\n

In his resignation letter, Cham stated that he is “clean before the law” and ready to cooperate with any investigation, asserting that his decision to resign was made to preserve his reputation and that of the armed forces. In contrast, the Gambian government has yet to issue any official announcement regarding the opening of an investigation into the raised allegations.<\/p>\n

All allegations remain, according to the mentioned sources, within the realm of accusation, and no judicial ruling has been issued regarding them, while sources within the military institution indicated that senior military leaders attempted to persuade Cham to remain in his position before he proceeded with his decision.<\/p>\n

Find more news and analyses on Gambia<\/span> on the Africa Press<\/span> website<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Gambia. The Chief of Staff of the Gambian Armed Forces, General Mamad Cham, submitted his resignation at the end of last week, following weeks of ongoing allegations published by local sources regarding alleged corruption and abuse of office. President Adama Barrow accepted the resignation and appointed Major General Ousman Gomez as acting Chief […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":96541,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,6,7],"tags":[260],"class_list":["post-96542","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-files","category-head-lines","tag-gambia"],"yoast_head":"\nWhy did Gambia\u2019S Army Chief Step Down? - Gambia<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"-article-header-tag"> Africa-Press - Gambia. 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