By Adama Makasuba
The Gambia army chief and police boss, including the ministers of defense and interior, have surveyed the nation’s southern border after Senegalese soldiers allegedly shot a man.
The Gambian border villages have been troubled by sporadic fighting between the Senegalese forces and the MFDC rebels for the past years, which resulted in thousands of villagers fleeing their homes to seek sanctuary in other Gambian villages.
Villagers of Kampang, which has been recently affected by the altercation between the two sides, accused the Senegalese soldiers of constantly intimidating them while saying that they feel no safer and urged the Gambia government to step up efforts in ensuring their safety.
Speaking to reporters, Gambian defense minister Serign Modou Njie described the site visit as a well-conducted tour to bring a lasting solution to the area while highlighting that the prompted site visit was a directive from the president.
For his part, General Mamat O. Cham, chief of defense staff of the Gambia Armed Forces, consoled residents of the border villagers and said that we want to ensure peace by doing a joint patrol with our Senegalese counterparts to avoid trouble in the area.
