A contingent of Gambian soldiers led by Commander Major Ousman Gomez, yesterday returned from a ten-day exercise organised by the ECOWAS Commission, conducted in Burkina Faso.  

This is initiative by ECOWAS countries aimed at capacitising and preparing the men and women for peacekeeping missions. The 129 soldiers, from different units of The Gambia Armed Forces, were met on arrival at the Banjul Ferry Terminal by various security unit heads. Receiving the contingent on behalf of the chief of defence staff, Col. Yankuba Drammeh, the Army chief of staff, dilated on the outstanding performance of the Gambian contingent during the course of the exercise, noting that all the chiefs of defence staff were there to assess the exercise.

He expressed optimism that the soldiers will continue to live up to expectation, urging them to disseminate the knowledge they had gained to their colleagues. He commended the Gambian leader, who is also the commander-in-chief of The Gambia Armed Forces, for his support to the contingent during the exercise and to The Gambia Armed Forces at all times.

For his part, the commander of the contingent, Major Ousman Gomez, described the exercise as a successful one.  Major Gomez also described his men's performance as outstanding. He also thanked the president and the chief of Defence Staff for their logistic support during their stay in Burkina Faso.