By Adama Makasuba
Former adviser to President Adama Barrow has strongly rejected the decision of ECOWAS leaders and the Barrow-led administration to transform the regional forces, ECOMIG, into a Police Mission in the country.
ECOWAS Heads of State and government held their 58th Ordinary Session on Saturday where they decided to extend the mandate of ECOMIG for a period of twelve (12) months from 1 January 2021 and “transform it into a Police Mission after December 2021 elections”.
“It (ECOWAS authority) expresses its gratitude to Côte D’Ivoire, Ghana, Senegal and Togo for agreeing to contribute Constituted Police Units to ECOMIG, and the European Union for its financial and technical support,” a statement said.
But Mai Ahmed Fatty, also leader of Gambia Moral Congress, said it is against the nation’s security interests and that it will undermine the nation’s sovereignty.
“Extending ECOMIG to Police Mission is an unnecessary, ill-advised and unwise decision. It is woefully unfortunate, against our national security interests and undermines our sovereignty,” the former State Minister for Interior said.
“I am optimistic that the opportunity to implement such a defective decision next year would be denied,” he added.
The West African forces have been in the country since January 2017 after former Gambian leader Yahya AJJ Jammeh refused to step down for what he called election irregularities. Since then the forces mandate has been extended multiple times.