By Buba Gagigo
The Gambia Armed Forces (GAF) have clarified that the soldier heard in an audio threatening the opposition United Democratic Party (UDP) is no longer affiliated with the military.
“The attention of the Gambia Armed Forces (GAF) High Command has been drawn to an audio (and a photo) purportedly of a soldier making the rounds on social media platforms, especially YouTube. In the said audio, an individual, claiming to be a soldier of GAF, is heard issuing threats against one of the political parties in The Gambia and/or its leadership. Due to the serious nature of the allegations/threats and the apparent evil attempt by the individual(s) to smear the reputation of the GAF, there is a need to clarify the issue as a matter of urgency.,” GAF stated.
The Gambia Armed Forces stated that their investigation has identified the person in the audio as a former soldier of the GAF who previously served with the Guards Battalion of the Republican National Guard.
‘He is ex-Private Drammeh Sulayman (also known as “Ba Alagie”) who was enlisted into the GAF in December 2011 as part of Intake 32B. The ex-soldier was subsequently posted to the Guards Battalion in Fajara from where he has been absent and was declared ‘Absent Without Leave’ (AWOL) since 7 October 2015,” GAF said.Additionally, GAF stated that in April 2016, after being absent from his duty station for six months, he was declared a ‘deserter.’ Consequently, the GAF Military Police were ordered to arrest him if found within their jurisdiction.
“Our investigations further revealed that he is currently residing somewhere in Europe. In the said audio, ex-Private Drammeh Sulayman impersonated/imitated the voice of one of his former comrades, one Lance Corporal Jarju ML of the Guards Battalion. It has to be noted that Corporal Jarju is a loyal and patriotic soldier who is currently serving his Unit and GAF with dedication. In view of the foregoing, it is evident that ex-Private Drammeh Sulayman alias “Ba Alagie” is no longer a serving/active member of the Armed Forces. Therefore, GAF High Command wishes to dissociate itself from the ex-soldier’s irresponsible remarks. We condemn in the strongest possible terms his threats and repulsive statements in the audio shared on YouTube and other social media platforms,” GAF concluded.