VP Njie-Saidy bids farewell to ‘Deggo’ troops

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Dr Aja Isatou Njie-Saidy,

ce-president and secretary of state for Women’s Affairs, on behalf of President Jammeh on Friday bade farewell to 130 soldiers of The Gambia Armed Forces, as they departed to participate in the ‘Deggo’  exercise in Thies, Senegal.
Th
e Gambian contingent who were paraded at the July 22 Square, joined troops from four other West African countries - Mali, Guinea Bissau, Guinea Conakry and Burkina Faso - in the exercise that will last from the 1st to the 9th of December 2007.
In
 her farewell address, vice president Njie-Saidy described the exercise as an important evolution in the context of The Gambia Armed Forces capabilities and preparedness to participate in peace support operations alongside others from the sub-region. She added that it offers an opportunity and framework for greater cooperation with troops of the ECOWAS member-states.  She added that the exercise will also enable the participating troops drawn from ECOWAS member-states to develop and promote teamwork and community spirit between the armed forces in the sub-region and that more importantly, the ECOWAS Standby Force (ESF) would be realized.
“P
articipation in exercise ‘Deggo’ should be perceived as a great challenge, to be overcome only through your own conduct, comportment and above all, discipline and teamwork.  These are the attributes that you will be appraised by, for they are the bedrock of military service.  In Senegal, you should be able to assimilate quite quickly and easily given that both Senegal and The Gambia share common cultural and traditional values,” she noted.VP Njie-Saidy then urged the contingent to maintain a high standard of professionalism and patience during the course of the exercise. She reminded the contingent that the objective of the exercise is not to contest but to foster cooperation, and to build a common sense of purpose within the ECOWAS  Standby Force (ESF).
S
peaking on behalf of Brigadier-General Lang Tombong Tamba, chief of defence staff of The Gambia Armed Forces, Colonel Masanneh N. Kinteh, deputy chief of defence staff said the invitation of the Gambian contingent came following a visit by the Senegalese Armed Forces chief of general staff in The Gambia, earlier this year.According to Kinteh, until recently, military training outside the country was reserved for a few privileged officers.
He 
expressed confidence that the Gambian contigent will excel noting that it will raise not only the Gambia Armed Forces international profile but also proficiency in future multi-national peacekeeping missions.Colonel Kinteh then urged the contingent to maintain a high sense of discipline, commitment and hardwork.