CDS Badjie: Army loyal to constitution

By Omar Bah The Chief of Defend Staff of the Gambia Armed Forces General Ousman Badjie has told journalists at a press conference at the Army Defense Headquarters in Banjul Saturday that the political crisis that engulfed the country for the past few weeks was ‘political misunderstanding’. “The impasse was a political misunderstanding but thank God that it has been resolved peacefully. I also want to reassure the general public of the national Security Council’s loyalty and readiness to defend the peace and tranquility in the country,” he assured. He also on behalf of the Security Council assured all Gambians and non-Gambians who fled the country to return home as the country is stable and peaceful. CDS Badjie continued: “I also want to welcome and assure on-behalf of the Gambia Armed and Security Services His Excellency President Adama Barrow as the third president of the republic of the Gambia and as the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed and Security Services and also the Minister of Defense that if we gave Yahya Jammeh 100% we are surely ready to give President Barrow 150%” . He said during President Adama Barrow’s tenure in office he will surely realize that the Gambia armed and security is one of the best in the whole world. The CDS said the recent deployment of troops on the Highways and Junctions were intended to deter people fighting among themselves on political lines. Meanwhile the Inspector General of Police, Yankuba Sonko who also spoke at the conference called on all Gambians to return to their business as usual, adding “We are very grateful to the Gambian people for the maturity and sincerity they have shown during and after the elections. We also implore on them to maintain the peace and security in the country”. In a different but related development concerning security, the spokesperson of the coalition also noted that after consultation with the NIA Director General he was assured that all politically motivated arrestees would be released as soon as possible.]]>