Gambiaj.com – (BANJUL, The Gambia) – Lieutenant General Mamat O.A. Cham has resigned as Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) of the Gambia Armed Forces (GAF), The Gambia Journal can report, ending a tenure clouded by serious allegations of nepotism, misappropriation of military assets, and financial misconduct, all of which he categorically denied.
According to official sources, Lt. Gen. Cham finally decided to resign in what was described as an attempt to preserve both his personal legacy and the integrity of the Gambia Armed Forces, despite attempts by top military authorities to convince him to stay.
In his resignation letter dated today, Friday 29th May, 2026, Lieutenant General Cham, said he was stepping down following numerous allegations of misconduct and abuse of office inconsistent with the Office of Chief of Defence Staff.
The resignation of Cham has been formally accepted by President Adama Barrow who has designated Major General Ousman Gomez to assume the role of acting CDS.
Lt. Gen. Cham was the subject of an explosive public disclosure by Sergeant Modou Saine, a former personal assistant to Lt. Gen. Cham, who took to Gambian online platform What’s-On-Gambia with a string of grave allegations backed, he claims, by documentary evidence.
From Close Confidant to Whistleblower
Sergeant Saine and Lt. Gen. Cham were, by all accounts, once close. Saine handled personal errands for the CDS and his family. Their relationship fractured, according to the CDS, after Saine was reprimanded for a protocol breach during a visit.
Saine subsequently requested a transfer, which the CDS initially declined before eventually approving. Shortly before his retirement, Saine was discharged, a decision Lt. Gen. Cham says was made by the army commander, not himself. What followed was a cascade of public allegations.
A Son Sent to Morocco Through the Back Door
Among the most striking claims is that Lt. Gen. Cham arranged the nepotistic enlistment of his then-16-year-old son, Muhammed Cham, into the Gambia Armed Forces through a Moroccan military training opportunity meant for qualified serving soldiers.
According to Sergeant Saine, on June 7, 2024, the Kingdom of Morocco offered the GAF three training slots: a Higher Defense Course, an Officer Cadet Course, and Medical Officer Student Training.
Instead of allocating the Officer Cadet Course to an eligible serving soldier, the CDS allegedly diverted it to his own son. Saine further alleges that Director of Operations Colonel Yorro N.A.
Jallow was instructed to prepare a backdated appointment letter to formalize the arrangement, a copy of which Saine says he provided as evidence. Muhammed Cham is currently reported to be undergoing officer cadet training in Morocco.
Lt. Gen. Cham Denies all Allegations
Lt. Gen. Cham addressed several of the allegations in a phone interview with NPP social media figure Babucarr Bahoum, offering detailed rebuttals.
In his phone conversation with Bahoum, he also indicated that his media chief, Malick Sanyang, was being directed to prepare a more comprehensive formal response to the full range of claims.
In his defense, Lt. Gen. Cham offered important context: he said Muhammed had spent four years at the Prytanée Militaire de Saint-Louis in Senegal, a prestigious French-model military secondary school, after completing his Grade 9 examinations in The Gambia, making him, in the CDS’s view, a legitimate candidate for the Moroccan program. He did not, however, directly address the allegation of a backdated appointment letter.
Smuggler’s Boats, a Wife’s Name, and a Private Fishing Business
Sergeant Saine further alleges that Lt. Gen. Cham used boats and engines seized from irregular migration smugglers by the Gambia Navy to establish a private fishing business, with one of the vessels reportedly named after the CDS’s wife, Amie Secka.
Lt. Gen. Cham acknowledged owning a fishing boat and engaging in fishing commercially. He said he paid a craftsman in Tanji approximately D250,000 to build one vessel.
He also admitted acquiring a second boat from the Navy but insisted it was a legitimate commercial transaction: the Navy had been authorized to sell abandoned vessels seized from irregular migrants; he was informed of the sale, negotiated a price of D250,000, and paid by cheque, though he acknowledged an outstanding balance of D50,000.
“These are things that are abandoned… they can sell them as they are,” he said, adding that a committee under the Chief of Navy Staff oversaw such disposals.
A D1 Million Loan, a Military Truck, and a Suspicious Bill of Lading
The allegations extend to the GAF Credit Union. Saine claims that while rank-and-file soldiers struggled financially, Lt. Gen. Cham facilitated a D1 million loan for his wife, Amie Secka, reportedly for a business trip to China. The CDS countered that the Credit Union is open to soldiers’ family members and that his wife, as a registered member with savings of approximately D600,000, accessed the loan entirely on her own merits.
Saine also accuses Lt. Gen. Cham of trading a military truck for a parcel of land in Jigimar, Farafenni. The CDS flatly denied this, calling the claim impossible: “Where in the world can I go and take an army truck?” He said the land transaction predated his appointment as Deputy CDS and was a straightforward incremental purchase finalized around December 2025.
Perhaps the most document-laden allegation concerns a restricted letter dated 21 August 2025, bearing the letterhead of Defense Headquarters and signed by Lieutenant Colonel Abdoulie Jobe “for Chief of Defence Staff.”
The letter, addressed to MAERSK Line at Marina Parade, Banjul, requests a change in the consignee name on Bill of Lading No. 255394429, from “Defence Headquarters, Gambia Armed Forces” to “Mamat OA Cham,” the CDS’s personal name.
The letter states the amendment is “necessary to ensure the correct release and clearance of the shipment.”
The Gambia Journal has reviewed a copy of this document. Critics say it raises serious questions about whether military procurement channels were being used for personal importation.
A Test for Institutional Accountability
The resignation of The Gambia’s most senior military officer arrives at a critical moment for a country still navigating the complex road of institutional reform following decades of authoritarian rule.
The Gambia Armed Forces, once an instrument of political repression, have in recent years been the subject of sustained efforts to build a professional, accountable, and citizen-centered military.
Whether the allegations against Lt. Gen. Cham are ultimately substantiated or not, the episode has thrown into sharp relief the questions that remain about oversight, transparency, and the culture of accountability within the institution.
For the thousands of men and women who serve under far more difficult conditions and with far less public attention, the manner in which this episode is resolved will say much about the kind of military The Gambia is determined to build.
This is a developing story. The Gambia Journal will continue to report as further details emerge.
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