GAMCOY Ten Leaves For Darfur

NEWS BANJUL THE GAMBIA(MB)-A contingent of the Gambia Armed Forces (GAF) numbering 196 soldiers on Thursday 11 February 2010 left the Gambia “on a humanitarian and peace support mission” in the troubled Sudanese region of Darfur.
Known as GAMCOY 10, the contingent includes 10 female soldiers, and members will be in Darfur for at least six months. The contingent is led by Lieutenant Colonel Ousman Gomez.
They are the tenth group of Gambian peacekeepers to be deployed to Darfur, since the first mission arrived there in 2004, and the fourth to be deployed under the UN/AU UNAMID force in Darfur.
Speaking at the farewell parade held at 22 July Square in Banjul, Lieutenant General Masanneh Kinteh, Chief of Defence Staff of the GAF, said that the security situation in Darfur has, over the past few months, “improved but still remains somehow unpredictable”.
“The hybrid mission continues to make significant strides in fulfilling its mandate, of creating the conditions for a peaceful a stable environment to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian assistance.
“The deployment of more UNAMID troops in the mission area has undoubtedly improved the security situation. Your contingent, therefore, will join other contingents deployed in the mission area in carrying out your assigned tasks under the UNAMID mandate.
“Your tasks will include, among other things, to provide security and freedom of movement to UNAMID personnel and humanitarian workers within your areas of responsibility”.
Other aspects of their mission also involve “protection of the civilian population under threat of physical violence”. “Perhaps, more importantly, you are required to give hope to the hopeless and restore confidence and human dignity in the communities. To achieve this, you must work hard to win the hearts and minds of the civilian population. This requires a high sense of commitment and dedication to the service of the mission, and the people of Darfur”, he declared.
Describing the members of GAMCOT Ten as “our peace ambassadors in Darfur”, the CDS advised them to be ready at all times “to execute your tasks in a highly professional manner”.
The Vice President, Dr. Isatou Njie-Saidy, attended the parade, and delivered the farewell message on behalf of the President who said that “recent developments in that part of our continent have given light to hope for peace again”. “Just a couple of days ago President Idris Deby of Tehad ended a two-day state visit to Sudan Both heads of state (Deby and El-Bashir) had publicly declared that there are no more problems between their two countries and had acknowledged the pressing need for peace for their peoples.
“In this regard, Government’s commitment to fulfil its obligations to the Charter and principles of the AU/UN and the Gambia Armed Forces’ readiness to participate in the peacekeeping endeavours to consolidate these gains will be unrelenting”, the President declared.

GAMCOY Ten, the Gambian leader added, was being deployed at a time when “Sudan is well poised to hold its presidential elections next year and also the referendum for its southern province. Preparations are well under way for these very important activities, crucial for the peoples of Sudan including the Darfur”.
“The outcome for these elections are going to determine the future of generations to come, and your role in this process is of paramount importance”, he added.