By Sanna Camara

Since 2017, the appointment of Chie of Défense Staff of the Gambia Armed Forces, traditionally assigned to the President and Commander-in-Chief, has not been without political convenience of choices. In the 2020 Draft Constitution, such a role, in line with the security sector reform (SSR), entails a procedural oversight with checks and balances, which ultimately eands up at the President’s desk for final approval.

On fighting against a Jammeh style governance system for 20 years, we envisaged a better governance architecture that does not consolidate powers into the hands of the head of state, unchecked. It is quite baffling that we are still faced with such governance challenges as matters regarding both military, security and civilian matters of government. We either face the battle heads on, or keep going in merry-round circles of leadership deficiency in our national institutions.

I have keenly followed the debate about the latest scandal engulfing the Armed Forces leadership. In fact, I had deliberately refrained from substantive matters of the allegations and the ensuing inquiry. For journalism ethics teaches us that once a full inquiry is launched into an affair, just like legal matters, one must avoid comments that may be sub-judicial to the case. However, I could not help but recall my interactions with the each of the past three Chiefs of Défense Staff at various levels.

First, it was Masaneh Kinteh, brought in since the political impasse of December 2016 as an military and defence advisor to the transitional leadership, and providing strategies and guidance to the multilateral ECOWAS military intervention force. Due to his leadership characteristics, he had a strong support from the population and political leadership fpor such a role.

I met him at the King Fahad Hotel in Dakar, when the Gambian population in the Senegalese capital Dakar had the unique opportunity to be treated to an interactive meeting with the new president soon after the swearing ceremony at the Gambian Embassy in Dakar. I heard stories of Kinteh’s professionalism and popularity among the armed forces, which Jammeh saw as a threat, subsequently leading to his deployment to Cuba on a faraway foreign service assignment from the Gambian shores.

Soon after the change in 2017, he naturally fit the role of the CDS. Kinteh initiated needed reform processes such as the independence of the Armed Forces from national politics, re-introducing a proper procedure for promotions to ranks without any affinity or favouritsim; advising the president on defence matters. He enjoyed a growing influence in the country and the army, his motorcade sweeping around in armed military police escorts. Civilians began appreciating a new look of our armed forces under General Kinteh. Soon, he’d be at the center of schemes and conspiracies – things that do not question his leadership, rather, issues that spew unpopularity especially when then vice president, Ousainou Darboe was falling out with President Barrow. Kinteh did not fit the role of head of the army in the new government that was emerging from the ashes of the transitional leadership. Kinteh would be removed as CDS and deployed to the Foreign Services, again.

Then came his deputy Drammeh – an eloquent military leader and diplomat. Also suffered similar fate as Kinteh under Jammeh, ending up in diplomatic services until 2017. As deputy CDS, I travelled with him and Commodore Madani Senghore of the Gambia Navy as part of the presidential delegation to Nigeria. The event was the graduation of a corps of military officers at the National Defence College of Nigeria, among whom were some Gambians and other nationals.

Our flight was a warped Nigerian airline aircraft, Air Peace, if I remember correctly. We had an emergency landing witin an hour of take-off from Banjul. We landed in Monrovia due to technical problems with the flight. At the Roberts International Airport, some 50 kilometers from Monrovia, we were packed in a secluded hall away from the mainm terminal building – no food, no drinks or explanation from the airline staff, just the airport officials informing us that another airline was on the way from Lagos to pick us up for the continuation of our flight to Nigeria.

In the escalating tantrums from the frustrations of the customers, General Drammeh stood up to calm us down with his flawless English and persuasion, putting the blame squarely on the airline authorities for flying us in a bad aircraft in the first place. How did we even get that aircraft cleared for the flight? He was robed in khaftan and some of the Nigerian passengers in the crowd could not take the criticism against their country’s major airline flying West African cities. One spoke harshly to our General, unknown to him that the man in nicely pressed khaftan was an army General and second-in-command of an entire of a country’s armed forces, but travelling in civilian robes.

Usual to our Gambian pride, one of our civilian delegates lost his cool and began undressing his suit and and chemise to start a fight…. he wanted to teach the Nigerian passenger “a lesson” through fist exchanges. Again, the general calmed him down with words, and asked him, nicely, to not let the guy’s words provoke him to that level.

The situation de-escalated because of this. We all became one frustrated bunch of stranded passengers against the airline, rather than each other. Such was General Drammeh. Subsequently, the desperation against the airline grew further when another issue compounded our already dire situation. Monrovia aviation authorities insisted on the airline’s debt owed to the airport be paid off prior to the take-off of our flight. All of this came after hours of waiting ….

For Mamat O. Cham, another fine gentleman, who succeeded Drammeh as the third CDS in six years – on average, we have been changing a Chief of Defence Staff every three years!

I first met General Mamat O. Cham at Tendaba Camp, he was the guest speaker for the University of The Gambia Student Week 2017. I was there with some guests from Sweden, and I took the opportunity to provide coverage of the event. After listening to him speak, he earned my respect from that day. Instantly. He was the Commander of the Gambia National Army then, and his story was featured on the front page of The Point. I and General Cham would become good comrades, especially after learning that he was a survivor of Jammeh’s brute tyranny. He would recommend the 48 Laws of Power for my reading after I resigned from government. We were both students at the UTG, pursuing different courses but crossing paths often when he is attending lectures in Kanifing.

I knew him to be of good leader. He tried to build on the successes registered by his predecessors. He employed transparency in the Army, allowing men in infirm to openly speak on issues that affected them, to the media, during his tour of the Army installations countywide. I tried to not to keep him few minutes longer than necessary whenever we run into each other at the University. He is a General, who, despite being a CDS, shares the same classroom with civilians each week of the four years of his law degree. No one could tell if he didn’t earn his grades in the courses.

I dare say, since we live in an unperfect world, he may or may not be guilty of the crimes alleged by his personal assistant. In the meantime, if anyone tells me that The Gambia Armed Forces did not do enough to produce competent leaders over te past 40 years, I would strongly disagree with you.

What we need in reality is a reformed security sector, using the 2020 draft constitution as bases for a Republican Army with civilian oversight and strong, professional leadership.