By Omar Bah
The new commander of the Ghanaian troops serving with Ecomig (GHANCO 5), Lieutenant Colonel William Kobby Ackah, has called on Gambians to support the West African troops peace mission.
Addressing a presentation ceremony at Barra where his troops donated food items, mats among others to the village central mosque, Col Ackah said Ecomig troops are mandated to ensure the peace and security of all Gambians.
He expressed delight over the treatment his troops are receiving from Gambians especially residents of Barra since they arrived in Banjul five years ago.
Col Ackah added that his troops will do everything possible to ensure that they work closely with the Gambian people towards the success of their mission. “We want to let the people understand that we are here for them. We are not here for ourselves but for them and anything that we can do to make sure that they understand that message we will do,” Col Ackah said. He assured Gambians that his troops will continue doing everything humanly possible to contribute to the peace and stability of the country.
To the people of Barra, Colonel Ackah added: “For us, as the Ghanaian contingent in Barra, we want to say that we have appreciated your peaceful coexistence since we came here. You have lived with us peacefully, you have always smiled with us and worked together with us and I think this is why we have been able to come this far.”
The donation, Col Ackah added, helped boost the image of Ghanaian contingents as well as Ecomig whilst attending to the basic needs of the communities.
“It is in this direction that we have presented these items to them for their preparation for the Eid prayers. I urge all of us that we continue to live in peace as we have always done so that at the end of the day, the peace that you nurture will bring about progress and development to the entire country,” he added.
He said the troops have for the past five years supported schools and health centres around the North Bank Region.
A senior member of the Barra Muslim elders expressed gratitude to Ecomig-Ghana and urged them to continue the good work they are doing since they arrived in the country.
“I want to assure you that the people of Barra will continue to support the mission to ensure that at the end of the day it will be a success. We consider you as our brothers and sisters from another country and pray that none of your bullets will be fired in this country by the time you pack up to return to your respective countries,” a delighted village elder said.
