By Olimatou Coker
The chief of defence staff of the Gambia Armed Forces last week paid a courtesy call on the Kanifing Municipal Council headed by Talib Bensouda.
The visit was geared towards cementing cooperation and understanding between the two institutions, and to explore other areas of cooperation especially in the context of peace and security.
Kajally Sanneh, deputy chief executive officer at the council, expressed the KMC’s pleasure at receiving the CDS and his delegation.
He highlighted the joint activities being done by the KMC and the Gambia Armed Forces.
In response, CDS Drammeh noted: “We had a very strong and faithful relationship with this fine institution over the years. I thought I should pay a visit to the KMC and to extend fellowship as well as renew the partnership and to explore other areas of cooperation in the service of our collective interest. The armed forces as an entity cannot effectively operate in the absence of close collaborations, support and coordination with other institutions. We want to reach out and extend our hands of fellowship to every Gambian.”
“Peace and security are indispensable tools if we are talking about sustainable development, and peace without security is not sustainable and security without peace is not durable,” he expressed.
He stressed that there cannot be a meaningful development in the absence of peace and security, and these requires collective efforts to work towards the maintenance of peace and security in The Gambia.
He therefore called on all people to work together in the advancement and propagation of peace and security if we want to embrace socio-economic development in any context.
Mayor Talib Bensouda expressed his council’s delight at the visit and reminded that anywhere we came across military officers, we should thank them for their service.
“The council had been a very good partner to the Gambia Armed Forces especially when it comes to our jurisdiction. The Armed Forces always answers our calls and they go beyond the call of duty to support the council. I assure you of our support in any aspect”, Bensouda said.
