The handing over of the seven Ecomig soldiers to Ecowas in the presence of the lead mediator for the settlement of the conflict between the Senegalese government and MFDC, a representative of the Ecowas mission in the Gambia and Col. Trawally from the Gambia Armed Forces marks the beginning of the end of the unfortunate event of 24th January 2022 at the border near Kampanti.
The lessons should now be clear to Ecowas and The Gambian and Senegalese governments that an armed opposition does exist in the Casamance known as MFDC under the command of Salif Sadio. They have nothing to do with the Gambia or Ecowas. They have their grievances against the Senegalese government.
According to the MFDC representatives they are engaged in negotiation with the Senegalese government for a settlement of the conflict. Gambia and Ecowas should therefore be very careful that Gambian or Ecomig soldier are fully conversant with what is Gambian territory and confine their boots on Gambian territory and never stray across the border in hot pursuit of anyone under the current climate of conflict in the Casamance area.
What The Gambia and Ecowas should do is to become part of the solution by encouraging the two parties to accelerate the negotiation process with a view to finding a peaceful solution to the armed conflict.
