By Olimatou Coker
The Minister of Defence, Sheikh Omar Faye has told members of the National Assembly that the Gambia Armed Forces is ready as ever in protecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of this country but the the logistics are not enough.
Minister Faye, himself a retired major and army commander, made these remarks while responding to members’ questions about defense and security in the country.
“Our men and women are ever ready but it is very expensive and I am sure the National Assembly knows about it. We have patrols going day and night but as I said we need more funding and more budget to enable us to effectively deliver on our constitutional mandate”, he pleaded with the assembly members.
Mr Faye also highlighted accommodation issues at barracks saying that work at Farafenni is almost coming to completion. He said the plan is to do similar things at all other barracks in the country but limitations in funding make it hard to accomplish “even though government is doing all what it can and they are working with partners to resolve the unfortunate situation.”
Meanwhile, the minister also reported that currently there are some 100 British troops in The Gambia on a training programme with the Gambia armed forces.
