Over the past few days, about five youth residing in the Foni region have been reportedly killed by drones that are believed to have been launched by Senegalese forces.
Speaking at the UDP congress over the weekend in Janjanbureh, Mr. Darboe said: “UDP firmly believes that The Gambia cannot and must not be used as a launching pad by the Senegalese.”
The veteran lawyer cum politician further said his party has heard reports of the unfortunate killing of civilians in the Fonis by Senegalese drones. This incident, he added, further exacerbates an already tense and fragile situation in Foni.
"The UDP strongly believes that the territorial integrity must be respected by Senegal and that the Gambia Government must stand up to its responsibility to protect Gambia's territorial integrity. The citizens and residents of Foni must not live in fear of being killed by remote control weapons of war as they go about their daily activities,” he warned.
He therefore called on President Barrow’s administration to ensure that the citizens and residents of Foni are as safe as the residents of Banjul. "…whilst the UDP recognise the indivisibility of Senegal,” he added.
The legal luminary further called on The Gambia Government and ECOWAS to launch a swift and thorough investigation to provide answers to the families of the victims and The Gambian citizens at large.
Darboe said there is a need for the Gambia Government and regional bloc to provide a concrete action plan to prevent the reoccurrence of such incidents in the Foni region.
“A government that fails to plan correctly executes poorly and manages corruptly can only feed its population with a steady diet of excuses, rationalisation, and subterfuge.”
“They will never summon the courage to take full and direct responsibility for their serial acts across the entire government," he said.
Speaking further, he argued that the Barrow-led government cannot keep citizens safe in their communities and businesses making this safe and stable nation rife with crime, murders, armed robberies, assault and drug trafficking as the new normal.
