By Alagie Manneh
The Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) has again extended the mandate of its military mission in The Gambia.
At its 64th Ordinary Session in Abuja the Authority of Heads of State and Government on Sunday, in a communique, stated: “The Authority had decided to extend the mandate of the Ecowas Mission in The Gambia (Ecomig) for one year and instructs the mission to continue to support The Gambia in the implementation of the White Paper of the Truth Commission and needed Defence and Security Sector Reforms.”
The 15-nation body also urged the government and stakeholders to “expedite the adoption of a new constitution, ahead of the 2026 general elections.
The Mission, also known as ‘Operation Restore Democracy’, consisting mainly of soldiers from neighbouring Senegal, Ghana and Nigeria was first sent to The Gambia in January 2017 to compel longstanding president Yahya Jammeh to relinquish power to his elected successor Adama Barrow. However, after many years of stay, poll after poll has indicated that the majority of Gambians want Ecomig’s mission to end and the security of the nation left in the hands of the Gambian defence and security forces.
