By: Fatou Krubally
The withdrawal of ECOMIG forces from The Gambia will depend on annual assessments conducted by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Vice President Muhammed B.S. Jallow has told the National Assembly.
Jallow made the clarification on Wednesday while responding to lawmakers’ questions about the continued presence of ECOMIG and Senegalese forces in The Gambia.
Central Baddibu lawmaker Sulayman Saho asked when ECOMIG and Senegalese forces deployed in the country under an arrangement with The Gambia were expected to withdraw.
In response, the Vice President said the continued presence of the forces would be assessed and that they would be withdrawn through the appropriate channels when their presence was no longer considered necessary.
Pressed on whether there was a specific timeframe for the withdrawal, Jallow clarified that ECOMIG was not operating under a bilateral agreement between The Gambia and Senegal.
He explained that ECOMIG was established as a multilateral ECOWAS arrangement comprising forces from Senegal, Nigeria and The Gambia operating under ECOWAS command.
According to Jallow, ECOWAS conducts an annual assessment to determine whether there remains a need for ECOMIG forces to stay in The Gambia.
Latrikunda Sabiji lawmaker Yahya Sanyang questioned whether reliance on foreign forces for national security could eventually expose the country to a security crisis.
The Vice President rejected the suggestion that The Gambia was outsourcing its security needs.
“I don’t agree with the Honourable Member that we are outsourcing our security needs,” he said.
Almameh Gibba asked whether an assessment report had addressed a previously raised issue involving Senegalese ECOMIG personnel at State House and whether any action had been taken.
Jallow said the matter had previously been raised in the Assembly and that appropriate responses had been provided, although he said he did not have the details of the response at hand.
Foni Bintang lawmaker Bakary K. Badjie asked whether the annual assessments conducted over the years had established that ECOMIG still needed to remain in The Gambia.
Jallow maintained that the assessment was an ongoing annual process within ECOWAS and was not based solely on his personal determination.
He also noted that ECOMIG’s operations were supported by external funding and suggested that financing could eventually cease if funders were no longer convinced of the need for the mission.
Banjul Central lawmaker Abdoulie Njai asked whether ECOMIG had served its purpose from a security perspective.
The Vice President reiterated that the decision on the mission’s continued deployment ultimately rested with the ECOWAS assessment process.
Meanwhile, Jallow assured the Assembly that the official boundary map between The Gambia and Senegal would be provided to lawmakers through the appropriate official channel before the end of the current parliamentary session