By: Adama Makasuba
The Minister of Information, Communication and Infrastructure has refuted allegations that the government water canon was bought to counter the December protest, but said it important for the security forces to have the right equipments in the country.
Ebrima Sillah said: “it is not true that the water canon was bought to deal with the situation in December. It may even be that nothing will happen in December but it is important that the security forces have the right equipment in this country and they are ready for any situation, because the peace and tranquility of this country should also be safe guarded.”
Mr Sillah was speaking on This Week in Politics, a recorded program on Hot Fm on Sunday.
The #3yearjotnamovement, who are demanding the President Adama Barrow to honour the 3 years agreement purportedly signed by the coalition’s leaders, vowed to take to street come December.
In the March of 2019, President Adama Barrow told a political rally in Brikama that he is going to serve his five years mandate in power.
Meanwhile, the sacked Interior Minister Ebrima Mballow also made a threatening remark at the same political rally that the security forces will spray hot water on anyone who comes out to demonstrate in December.
However, Mr Sillah added: “I doubt whether any government will just buy the right equipment for your security forces with an event in mind it is important that we put this thing into context anything that this government does to help our security is to ensure that they respond effectively in any situation that demand the respond.”
He said when demonstrations are peaceful that the Police don’t need any weapon to actually guide and control that kind of crowd.
He however said that when the demonstrations turn out to be something else that the right equipments like gears and light weapons that have robber bullet and tear gas and other type support crowd control tools.
He said these tools were never available in the Gambia until the birth of the Barrow-led government two and half year before, adding that the government needs to reorient and reequip the security forces in a manner to deal with civility.
