By: Nyima Sillah
John Moses Jammeh-Sainey, Citizen’s Alliance Senior Strategic Communication Officer said he doubts the presence of Cassamance rebels within the Foni region but urged the ECOMIG to remove its forces from that region.
In an exclusive interview with this Reporter, John Moses said “throughout the six years of this government the Senegalese forces have been stationed in Foni together with other sister security forces, and throughout these six years, if there were rebels why couldn’t they identify them? Who are the rebels and what do they look like.”
He stressed that the purpose of the forces right now is defeated and there is no need to have them within Foni since the Senegalese forces claimed to have taken over the Southern side.
More so, he said the Gambia Armed Force and sister agencies are capable of maintaining peace and order in the region.
However, John Moses strongly emphasized that they are not advocating for the Senegalese citizens to leave the Foni region, but Senegal as a country does not need a military force to maintain peace in the Gambia since they have a superpower status diplomatic force within the sub-region.
Meanwhile, he explained that the people living within the borders on the Gambian side are the same people that own the kilometers of land within the Cassamance side. When they cross the border they are not trespassing, they are walking on their ancestral land where they farm and race cattle.
“Recently the Senegalese forces have started using drones to fire at our people claiming them to be rebel combatants. There is no way they can identify who is a rebel combatant or a civilian by using drones. In the same way, we have problems identifying rebels.
“You cannot solve a political problem with gun booms The Gambia should advocate and bring peace by meditating.”
He called on the Gambian and the Senegalese government to engage rebel combatants in peace talks to bring about lasting peace and development in the region, noting war will always be on the diplomatic table.