By Omar Bah
Opposition GDC has urged the Barrow government to stay out of the Casamance separatist conflict.
A statement shared with The Standard yesterday, read: “Every Gambian should stand up to demand that the government avoids dragging the country into the Senegal-Casamance conflict. We believe the government’s meddling in this matter could put the peace and stability of the country under serious threat.
“It is our position that no Gambian should bear the brunt of the Senegal-Casamance conflict. We urge the government to stop aiding and abetting Senegal’s disposition towards the Casamance separatist movement,” GDC said.
The party restated its opposition to the continued presence of foreign forces in the country.
The statement further added: “We have professional men and women in our national security forces. The Senegalese soldiers attached to the Ecomig team have no mandate or operational right according to the Ecowas Protocol to get involved in the implementation of Gambian domestic laws… The Gambia is a sovereign nation and its sovereignty is an absolute and indispensable right that must be observed and respected by every individual, nation or society.”
The party expressed its delight at the release of three Gambians arrested in Foni, transported to and detained in Senegal by Senegalese forces in the aftermath of the fighting.
“We hope that this latest show of ineptitude and irresponsibility by our government in protecting our citizens will not continue. We called on all Gambians to resist the government’s attempts to drag the country into a conflict that has nothing to do with us,” the party added.
