THE ROLE OF THE GAMBIA ARMED FORCES IN THE MAINTENANCE OF PUBLIC SECURITY, NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL PEACEKEEPING SINCE 1994

INTRODUCTION

The primary and principal functions of the Gambia Armed forces as embedded in the constitution are to preserve and defend the sovereignty and territorial integrity of The Gambia, to aid civil authorities during emergencies and national disasters; to engage in productive activities such as Agriculture, engineering, Health and Education for the development of The Gambia. Evidently, The Gambia Armed Forces has been actively engaged in all its principal functions effectively and efficiently since the turn of events in 1994.

The evolution of The Gambia Armed Forces and the expansion of its primary and principal functions came about as a result of the 1994 change of government. Prudentially, the 1997 Constitution gives The Gambia Armed Forces additional mandates in the light of the changing phenomena in the traditional roles of the Armed Forces. These additional mandates have allowed the expansion of the role of The Gambia Armed Forces such as Rescue Missions, Emergency and Disaster Operations, and International Peacekeeping and Peace Enforcement Missions. The Gambia Armed Forces as part of its new and additional roles has been actively participating in the fight against HIV and Aids. Recently, The Gambia Armed Forces has effectively engaged in Agricultural activities in an endeavour to make The Gambia food self-sufficient.

ACHIEVEMENTS

The Gambia Armed Forces has registered significant achievements from 1994 to date, essentially in the areas of capacity enhancement, career and professional development, International Peacekeeping Missions and the crusade against HIV/Aids. These and many other achievements are unprecedented in the history of the achievements are unprecedented in the history of The Gambia Armed Forces since it’s coming into being in 1984. Prior to 1994, The Gambia National Army (as was then referred to) has lost its professionalism as a result of poor administration, which consequently resulted to expatriate commandership of the Army from 1992 to 1994.

At the turn of events in 1994, The Gambia Armed Forces was able to gain its lost glory and became a professional Armed Force which eventually gained recognition both nationally and internationally. Its role has been constitutionally redefined to cater for the emerging phenomenon of both national and international threats to public peace and security. This resulted to the expansion of The Gambia Armed Forces by the upgrading of the Marine unit (Company) to a status of Naval Force with semi-autonomy. It has also resulted to the establishment of The Gambia National Guard in 1999 and the formation of a special Tourism Security Unit in 2002.

The establishment of The Gambia National Guard (GNG) has made an added impetus to the preservation and maintenance of public peace and security. Mandated with Police powers by an Act of the National Assembly and cited as the National Guard Regulation 2000, the GNG has played and continued play a significant role in curtailing criminal activities thereby ensuring public safety and security in relative context. It has made tremendous strides in the maintenance of public security by combating drug trafficking, counterfeiting, money laundering, armed robbery and burglary amongst others. The formation of the special Tourism Security Unit (TSU) under the operational arm of the GNG has enhanced the capacity of The Gambia Armed Forces in the maintenance of public peace and security. The TSU which has been mandated to secure the Tourism Development Area (TDA) has been effectively engaged in combating the "bumster" menace that has been a nightmare for many holidaymakers. This has resulted to the passing into law, the Tourism offences Act 2003, which now mandates the TSU to efficiently carry out its mandates of preventing all forms of offences in the TDA including pedophilia.

The Gambia Armed Forces over the years has been effectively and professionally participating in the international peacekeeping and peace enforcement missions the world over. Personnel of The Gambia Armed Forces have participated in peacekeeping missions in Angola, Guinea Bissau, Sierra Leone, Kosovo, East Timor, Eritrea/ Ethiopia and most recently, Liberia and Ivory Coast. These peace support missions have placed the Gambia Armed Forces at the forefront in the maintenance of peace and security both sub-regionally, regionally and beyond. In spite of it’s minimal size strength and lack of sufficient resources, The Gambia Armed Forces along side other militaries has succeeded in bringing relative peace in Guinea Bissau, Sierra Leone, East Timor and Eritrea. It still maintains the presence of its personnel in Eritrea, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Ivory Coast.

Since 1994, The Gambia Armed Forces has embarked on career and professional development of both its officers and soldiers. Through the collaborative effort of the Department of State for Defence, many officers and soldiers have been trained in various professional institutions including the University of The Gambia (UTG). From 1994 to date, The Gambia Armed Forces through the Department of State for Defence has sponsored about 500 of its personnel in various professional courses. Notable among these courses are Nursing, Medicine, Computer Science, Social Sciences, Law, Economics, Management, Gender and Development Studies, Auto Mechanic, Electrical Engineering, Building and Construction, Accountancy, Health Science, Catering, French Language Studies and many others. Out of the 500 personnel, about 30 are sponsored on courses at the University of The Gambia and the remaining personnel have attended institutions like the Management Development Institute (MDI), Gambia Technical Training Institute (GTTI), School of Nursing, Business Training Centre, Gambia Hotel School, Alliance Franco-Gambienne and other private professional institutes. Many other personnel have been permitted for overseas study leave at their own expenses.

The Gambia Armed Forces over the years has achieved to its merit the commissioning of 65 additional officers since 1994. These commissioning has significantly improve the total number pf officers commissioned into the Armed Forces, since its establishment in 1984. Most of those officers commissioned have already undergone military courses in different countries whose Armed Forces have established military cooperation with the Gambia Armed Forces. These countries are Federal Republic of Nigeria, Ghana, Turkey, United Kingdom, Pakistan and the United States of America. Recently 16 Officers have been commissioned into The Gambia Armed Forces and some of them have since left for military training overseas. Plans are underway to commission many more Officers including women soldiers who have satisfied the commission selection requirements.

In it’s strive to create an effective civil-military relationship, The Gambia Armed Forces has established medical clinics in all its barracks throughout the country. These medical clinics are staffed with the sponsored medically trained nurses and are accessible to the soldiers, their dependants and civilians. The clinics are operated on 24 hourly basis and operate in close collaboration with government health facilities and hospitals. The clinics offered free medical care and treatment to the cross-section of the communities without any political, ethnic or religious consideration.

The Gambia Armed Forces has established a close and meaningful collaboration with the National Aids Secretariat (NAS), the Medical Research Council and other health care delivery agencies in its endeavour to fight against HIV/Aids and other infectious diseases. This has led to the creation of a special office, which is equipped and staffed for that purpose. The primary function of this office is to effectively sensitize the officers and soldiers, their dependants, the civilian staff and all other members of The Gambia Armed Forces about the menace of HIV/Aids.

In its move to maintain the welfare of its serving members, The Gambia Armed Forces has endeavoured to renovate all existing accommodations in all its barracks. New accommodation structures have already been built at Yundum Barracks and improvement on these structures are underway. New accommodations in its barracks. New accommodation structures have already been built at Yundum Barracks and improvement on these structures are underway. New accommodation structures have also been built in Basse which are near completion. Renovation works in Farafenni and Kudang Barracks have been completed. The renovation work at Fajara Barracks is near completion. All these have been done to improve on the living conditions of the officers and soldiers as well as their dependants. Also, a new Armed Forces Headquarters have been created for effective command and control and for the improvement of the working conditions of the staff officers.

In summary, the achievements registered by the Gambia Armed Forces since 1994 are as follows:-

CHALLENGES

One of the major challenges that The Gambia Armed Forces is faced with, are manpower and logistics constraints. Due to its expanded roles and responsibilities, The Gambia Armed Forces is unable to overcome its manpower and logistic problems. In spite of the yearly recruitment, the manpower continues to be insufficient as a result of the participation in almost all the peacekeeping missions the world over. Beside other operations, these peacekeeping missions have continued to dwindle the already constricted manpower to the detriment of national peace and security. These overstretch nature of The Gambia Armed Forces needs to be addressed by mass recruitment in the interest of public peace and security.

Another major constraint of The Gambia Armed Forces is logistics. The logistic requirements of The Gambia Armed Forces such as vehicles, uniforms, communication equipment, fuel and maintenance of vehicles and equipment, fuel and maintenance of vehicles and equipment continue to be a major challenge for the Gambia Armed Forces. The sufficient lack of these items particularly vehicles and fuel has adversely affected the operation of the functional services of The Gambia Armed Forces. These Logistics are necessary in order to sustain the operations of all the functional services especially the GNG which is mandated with police powers and The Gambia Navy which is entrusted with protection of fisheries products and the territorial and coastal waters.

The lack of essential communication equipment such as sufficient hand-held sets, man-pack sets and vehicle Transmission Radio Sets (VTR) has been a major challenge to The Gambia Forces. As effective communication is very vital in Military Operations for the purpose of command and control and the coordination of activities, the lack of this vital communication equipment continues to hamper the successful operation and administration of The Gambia Armed Forces. In essence, what The Gambia Armed Forces needs are effective and reliable communication sets to enable it to efficiently carry out operation and daily administration of its functional services and units.

PROSPECTS

In an effort to make The Gambia Armed Forces very effective and professional, it is envisage that in the very near future, an Infantry Centre and School as well as a Military Academy will be established. These Military Academy will be established. These Military institutions will be able to train own officers and other personnel in all aspects of military science. Economically, this may reduce the resources used to train personnel in other countries overseas. Presently, efforts and plans are underway to establish a Military Academy through the technical and logistics assistance of the Turkish Armed Forces and the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

In the years ahead, The Gambia Armed Forces is planning to establish a Military Primary and Secondary Schools where children who are interested in military and soldering can be given a basic military tutelage. Those enrolled in these schools will be given certificate to be called the Army Certificates of Education (ACE) upon completion of their basic military studies. Those who acquired ACE will have automatic privilege to be enlisted into The Gambia Armed Forces. These schools will teach the children the virtues of discipline, patriotism, and leadership along side other civil subjects.

In order to provide medical care and services to the greater number of civilians who continue to visit The Gambia Armed Forces clinics on daily basis, it is envisaged that in the future, a military hospital would be established. This hospital will be staffed with qualified doctors and nurses and will be equipped to meet the growing demand for medical services. The hospital will receive and treat patients who are referred from the Armed Forces Clinics. These patients may be officers and soldiers, their dependants and civilians as well as the ex-service personnel and their dependants. The hospital will also reinforce the efforts of other public hospitals in health care services and delivery system. The establishment of a military hospital will enhance the sustainable maintenance of the welfare of the officers and soldiers and their dependants in terms of medical care.

By the year 2010, it is envisaged that 75 percent of the personnel of The Gambia Armed Forces will be computer literates in order to overcome the challenges of modernization of military operations. As military operations in the world over are taking a new and technological dimension, it is essential that The Gambia Armed Forces braze itself to this challenge. Presently, computer training centers have been established at the State Guard Battalion headquarters in Banjul and the Gambia Armed Forces Training School in Fajara Barracks, Bakau. These training centers are very effective in training large number of serving officers and soldiers within the different functional services and units of The Gambia Armed Forces. Plans are underway to establish computer training centers in all military barracks that would be accessible to all officers and soldiers and their dependants within the barracks. This may be done in close collaboration with the computer service providers such as Quantum, Unique Solution and others.

As mandated by the constitution of The Gambia, the establishment of The Gambia Air Force is high on the agenda. Already, a nucleus of the Air Force has been formed since 2002. Through the cooperation between the governments of The Gambia and Ukraine, The Gambia Armed Forces has already sent 10 personnel to Ukraine for a 4-year course in piloting and Aeronautics. It is envisaged that in the very near future, The Gambia Air Force would be fully established with qualified trained personnel and all relevant and essential equipment would be provided. The establishment and operational capability of The Gambia Air Force will add impetus to the maintenance of public peace and security as well as the defence and preservation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of The Gambia.

CONCLUSION

The Gambia Armed Forces within its constitutional and legal mandates will continue to preserve the sovereignty and defend the territorial integrity of The Gambia. Through The Gambia National Guard, it would ensure the protection and safeguarding of public peace and security in collaboration and cooperation with other security forces. It will further utilize the Tourist security Unit to get rid of all tourism offences including drug trafficking, sexual abuses and pedophilia within the Tourism Development Area.

At international level, The Gambia Armed Forces will continue to participate in peacekeeping missions in conflict stricken countries within the sub-region and beyond. It will continue to professionally represent the Gambia in many peace initiatives in order to internationally portray The Gambia as a peaceful and peace-loving country within the community of nations. Through the little efforts and contribution of The Gambia Armed Forces, the world may become peaceful for the future generations to come.