Gamcoy 7 first batch arrives

The first batch of The Gambia Armed Forces (GAF) contingents - Gamcoy 7, comprising 98 soldiers, last Thursday arrived in the country after a six-month peace keeping mission to the Sudanese trouble region of Darfur.

The platoon (Gamcoy 7) were under the command of Lt Col Sainey Bayo. The Darfur crises which started years back, has left many casualties with thousands of civilians fleeing away from the country.  Lt Col Yankuba Drammeh, chief of Army Staff, Gambia Armed Forces, among other senior GAF officials, received the gallant soldiers at the Banjul International Airport.

Addressing them shortly after landing, Lt Col Drammeh, thanked the gallant men and women on behalf of the Gambian leader and Commander-in-Chief of The Gambia Armed Forces, the Chief of Defense Staff and the Gambians, for their dedication and hardwork during their tenure in Sudan. " We are indeed delighted to welcome you back home,"he said. According to him, their individual and collective performance “deserved the best commendation”. He added: “in every peace keeping mission, we receive feedback and keep track records of performances .You have performed exceptionally well," he said. Lt Col Drammeh then stated that GAF will continue to equip its men and women in order to perform well in any duties delinquently.

For his part, Major Lamin Jammeh, the second in-command, Gamcoy 7, who also led the first batch to The Gambia,  said that during their stay in Darfur, they had learned new things and for them everything went well. "Gamcoy 8 has a big task as we set the pace. The only thing they need is hardwork," he said. He urged the Gamcoy 8 to be good ambassadors of the Gambia and maintain the Gambian flag high.

WO2 Bangaly Sankurah, on behalf of the non-commission officers, said the situation in Darfur is uncompromised, noting that the soldiers who are preparing to leave for Darfur, should endeavour to work and keep the country’s name high. "For us, we did our best and I want to urge them to emulate us -  the next contigent, to keep peace” he said.

Speaking to Daily Observer shortly after welcoming the soldiers, Second Lt. Omar B Bojang, the public relations officer  of The Gambia Armed Forces, said the day marked another significant event for the Gambia Armed Forces, as they witnessed yet another group of gallant soldiers returning from a peace keeping mission, while others are preparing to leave for the same mission.

PRO Bojang then emphasied that in peacekeeping, The Gambia is contributing her quota to international efforts in bringing peace to Darfur - Southern Sudan and other parts of the region. "Currently we have officers who are serving as military officers in Ivory Coast, Liberia, Chad, Congo Kinshasha, and Nepal in Asia" he revealed. Lt Momodou Demba, Lt Lamin Fatty and Sgt Mary Manka, all returning soldiers, expressed similar sentiments.