Joint Service Headquarters Demand Refurbishment to Address Water Leaks

By Assan Bah

Staff officers at the Joint Services Headquarters have called for the refurbishment of the headquarters’ main building, warning that leaking roofs and flooding during heavy rainfall could damage official records and equipment.

The appeal was made on Thursday evening during the final meeting of Chief of Defence Staff Lieutenant-General Ousman Gomez’s nationwide familiarisation tour of military installations.

The meeting brought together directors, commanders from different services of the Gambia Armed Forces and other officers and staff at the headquarters.

Speaking on behalf of the Joint Services, Chief of Naval Staff Commodore Sambou Barrow thanked General Gomez for two recent interventions, the introduction of new uniforms and promotions, which he said had helped boost morale among personnel. But Commodore Barrow said the headquarters building required urgent attention.

“During heavy rainfall we experienced some roofing leakages and some flood leakages in this main building – the services headquarters,” he said.

“This can cause damage to some of our files and even to some of the hardware that we have in those offices.”

He appealed to the CDS to support the refurbishment and facelift of the main building, where the services coordinate their work.

Barrow said the close relationship between the services made the condition of the headquarters a shared concern.

“The three services – Army, Navy and Republican National Guard – do our military service together, we do our joint peacekeeping exercises together, we dine together, and we breathe together,” he said.

General Gomez, who had just completed his tour of military installations across the country, told the gathering that many of the concerns raised during the tour were matters that commanders and directors could address themselves.

“I’m much grateful to stand before you this evening talking to my own people and that is the directors I’m working directly with,” he said.

“We have gone on tour, we have received some complaints. But specifically to the issues raised by members of the Gambia Armed Forces, the units, our units, and our formations. And here we are. We are the people to solve that problem. The problem cannot be solved by me.”

The CDS divided the challenges facing the armed forces into short-term, mid-term and long-term issues and called on commanders to take initiative in dealing with matters within their authority.

Referring to concerns raised during the tour, he said some issues could be resolved directly by the services without waiting for instructions from Defence Headquarters.

“Let’s say an intake, 30 intake will senior 19 intake. That can be remedied by the services. If you are to promote, just get the whole list of your service. It doesn’t matter if all the senior men are in 1BN. Promote them and resolve your unit,” he said.

General Gomez also told service chiefs that they should take responsibility for issues within their own formations.

“You cannot wait for CDS to resolve your GNA. No. You cannot wait for CDS to resolve your RNG. RNG is yours. That’s why you are given that tax and responsibility. You can only seek guidance from me, but you are given the responsibility to head that unit.”

On battalion rotations, the CDS said existing orders gave commanders the authority to act without waiting for his approval.

“You cannot wait for CDS to rotate your battalion. No. It is your battalion. Rotate them when you feel like rotating them. You have powers. That is not my job.”

He also referred to existing orders on soldiers and officers who go absent without leave.

“It is clear in our signal message that if a soldier goes AWOL or an officer goes absent without leave, if he is seen loitering anywhere within the country, he can be arrested. What order do you need again?”

General Gomez said commanders would be expected to perform the duties assigned to them and warned that personnel who could not meet those responsibilities could be replaced.

“It cannot be business as usual. If you are given an assignment, we believe that you can perform to the best of your ability. If you cannot do it, I said it, we’ll change you,” he said.

“You will have all my support. You will have all the support of the ministry, the support of His Excellency, the Commander-in-Chief, and His Excellency President Barrow. But it is our responsibility to ensure that we perform.”

He said directors should not restrict their work to conventional office hours.

“And if you are coming to me with a problem, make sure you come with a solution. Don’t come with a problem and start boring me. We are the ones to make the armed forces move.”

“Why not we use our six common sense to solve problems? That’s why the nickname goes to us that we have six common sense and not five.”

With the elections less than 100 days away, General Gomez also addressed the political neutrality of the armed forces and outlined what he described as four red lines for personnel.

“The Gambia Armed Forces is apolitical. If you want to do politics, you can give us our uniform. You can join any political party or form any political party. It’s your right. But as long as you put on the Gambia Armed Forces uniform, we should not engage in any politics.”

He said personnel deployed for election duties should not appear in uniform on political party platforms.

General Gomez also spoke against tribal sentiment within the armed forces.

“Tribal sentiment, we have seen it. That will not help us. It will only bring chaos,” he said.

“We do not have tribe in the military. Our tribe is the Gambia Armed Forces. Our uniform is our tribe.”

The CDS also warned personnel against using social media to air grievances or discredit the armed forces, directing them instead to use the chain of command and the appropriate channels.

“If you are found wanting in anything, you face the court martial,” he said.

He also announced a zero-tolerance position on drug trafficking within the armed forces.

“Drug trafficking is not our way, zero tolerance. If you’re found wanting you have no place in our military.”

General Gomez ended his address by reminding personnel of the purpose of their service.

“We put on uniform to serve the Gambian people and we must work. This should be armed forces of the people and people should be there to admire the armed forces,” he said.