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Gambia ‘working closely with neighbours’ to decipher security threat

Jul 7, 2017, 11:14 AM

The Gambia Armed Forces (GAF) and other relevant authorities in The Gambia are working with the neighbouring countries about the purported threat of military invasion in The Gambia.

In an interview with this paper, Lt Colonel Omar Bojang, public relations officer of GAF, said:  “We heard information of the deserters threat to The Gambia.  We have contacted relevant stakeholders, especially in the neigbouring countries, to share with us any information of threat to The Gambia they gathered.”

Last month, Senegalese foreign minister Mankeur Ndiaye, in a press conference during the visit of the French foreign minister to Dakar, said that there was a possible threat against The Gambia but he did not elaborate.

Security sources said some army deserters who served under the former regime of Yahya Jammeh and are currently living in Mauritania, Guinea Bissau and Conakry are planning to launch a military attack on The Gambia.

Confidential document from the Senegalese military confirmed the presence of Gambian army deserters in those countries. 

The sources added that security authorities in The Gambia are monitoring the activities of the deserters together with the Senegalese army and ECOMIG – the ECOWAS military forces in the country.