By Adama Makasuba
Honorable Mai Ahmed Fatty, leader of Gambia Moral Congress, has expressed his dismayed over the gun battle between Cassamance rebel forces and Senegalese soldiers at the border of The Gambia and Senegal that left fatalities in the two forces.
The clash made dozens of Gambians at the border villages to flee their homes and sought refuge in other villages in the Fonis and Kombos.
According to Honorable Fatty, “The adverse, subjective feelings of certain class of Gambians towards the ECOMIG presence here, affords no justification for the illegal intrusion of Cassamance rebel forces into Gambian territory. It is a violation of our sovereignty and amounts to a declaration of war. When unprovoked war is declared upon a nation, patriotism demands that all Gambians unite to fight, defeat and neutralise the invaders. We must put all political differences aside and unite to defend our sovereignty against foreign rebel incursion. We can debate the presence of ECOWAS, and it’s a legitimate one. Yet, your seeming hatred against Senegal or their presence here should not turn you against your own country. Let us have positive national conversation on the need or otherwise of ECOMIG. Fair enough. That is what all civilised nations do.”
“An armed attack from Cassamance rebels against foreign forces present at the legitimate invitation of our country is a military attack against our country. We must not let our strong feelings against ECOMIG presence, or troops from Senegal under separate bilateral Agreement, disable our Republican civic duty to protect our country against unprovoked rebel aggression on Gambian soil. MFDC should challenge Senegalese forces inside Senegal. Even with their massive presence in Foni, there has never been a military attack launched by Senegalese forces from The Gambia against the MFDC. This was an unacceptable, heinous provocation and military aggression against the Republic of The Gambia,” he added.
According to him, it is illegal for any troop contributing State to use their presence in The Gambia, as pretext to advance their strategic geopolitical interests, contrary to our national economic, political and security interests.
“It is illegal and unconstitutional for any foreign force present in The Gambia, under any guise, to interfere in the implementation of our domestic laws, including alleged smuggling of any nature, and in our general internal affairs. Foreign forces such as ECOMIG should not ordinarily be involved in conducting routine police duties,” he continued.
Mr Fatty said he has absolute confidence and trust in The Gambia Armed Forces, and in their ability to protect and defend our territorial integrity.
He said the advent of ECOMIG in The Gambia was a unanimous decision of the ECOWAS Region, and fully supported by Gambian citizens, at a time when we had exhausted all internal peaceful political options during the impasse, adding a military option was the last when diplomacy and all other negotiations failed totally.
“ECOMIG presence was designed to guarantee the permanence of Change 2016. ECOMIG would not have been here in the first place, if former President Jammeh had peacefully honoured the will of Gambians. The blame for their arrival here must be placed where it belongs – Ex President Jammeh.
“I am confident that efforts are being made to quickly fix the apparent anomalies that led to the fatal clashes between legitimate foreign forces and Cassamance rebel invaders in Foni. ECOMIG we can deal with, including troops under bilateral arrangements. We can demand review of the instruments under which they operate; we could demand their gradual and total withdrawal. There are international laws and procedures dealing with these and can be seamlessly achieved,” he stated.
