Read < 1 minute

Gambian President Adama Barrow said on Thursday he is waiting to hear from ECOWAS on the request of 1,000 additional members of the ECOMIG troops to fix security lapses in the country.

“We have requested for a troop of 1,000, but we have 500 on the ground. When ECOMIG came to this country the number was up to 4,000. It was reduced to 500. We saw the need that 500 was on the low side and this is in the transition period. We are still waiting for the other 500 which is yet to come,” he said at a news conference in Banjul.

He said the country needs help from others to move on stably. According to Mr. Barrow, the Gambian security team requires professional training and education as it is a complete different dispensation from the past.

“We are very committed to that and we are starting a military academy in this country for them to have capacity, knowledge and know what their roles are as far as governance is concerned,” he said.

This issue became pertinent following the suspension of three senior immigration officers at the country’s only airport. They were suspended after three high-ranking soldiers that traveled with ex-president to Equatorial Guinea passed through the airport unnoticed.