Gambia: West African Defence chiefs meet in Abuja

AN indication of possible and imminent deployment of peace keeping troops to Gambia in the wake of ongoing electoral dispute involving the country’s President, Yahya Jammeh and his contender in the December 1 presidential election, Adama Barrow, appears glaring at the weekend, as the regional service chiefs held what source consider as strategic security meeting aimed at taking action in the tiniest West African nation.

ECOWAS CHIEFS OF DEFENCE STAFF BRAINSTORMS ON GAMBIAN POLITICAL IMPASSE

The meeting which Vanguard gathered, was at the instance of Nigeria, was hosted by its Chief of Defence Staff, Abayomi Olonisakin.

Although the press was not privy to the high-level West African security gathering in the Nigeria’s federal capital city, the official website of the Defence Headquarters confirmed the development through pictures of the event.

According to the pictures found on the Defence Headquarters’ site, those at the one-day event included the chairperson of ECOWAS Chief of Defence Staffs, Brigadier General Daniel Ziankahn of Liberia; CH Gueye of Senegal; ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Hajiya Salamatu; Vice President of the Commission; the Ghanian Chief of Defence Staff and principal staff officers from Defence, Army, Navy, and Air Force headquarters.

Sources said the meeting which was reportedly held at the Defence Headquarters, in Abuja, was part of the preparation for the inauguration of an ECOWAS Military Intervention Group, ECOMIG, expected to move ahead of the United Nations troops to be deplored after January 19 if President Jammeh fails to step down from power to Barrow, who reportedly won the election from an opposition party.

Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff, General Gabriel Olonisakin,was said to have during the event, told the regional leaders and military chiefs of the region that the body would not rest in its oars in the pursuit of dialogue with the political leaders of Gambia to ensure peaceful transition of power in accordance with the Gambian’s constitution and the peoples will.

Although no communique was issued at the end of the meeting,it was gathered that West African security body however resolved that the various leaders should return to their countries but be on a stand-by for troops deployment should the need arises after January 19.

Recall that already, the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, has vowed to take all necessary actions to enforce the will of the Gambian people in the December 1p presidential election reportedly lost by Jammeh.

Mohammed Chambas, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel, UNOWAS, had hinted of ECOWAS’ resolve to take all necessary actions to enforce the results of the December 1, 2016 presidential election in the Gambia, while briefing the UN Security Council on the political and security situation in the region recently.