Gambiaj.com – (LAMIN KOTO, The Gambia) – The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) of The Gambia Armed Forces, Lieutenant General Mamat O. Cham, has issued a direct order to his soldiers to shoot armed robbers who threaten the lives and properties of citizens, particularly in border communities, The Standard newspaper reports.

Speaking during a tour of military posts in Lamin Koto and Farafenni, Lt. Gen. Cham condemned the increasing spate of violent robberies along The Gambia’s borders and described the perpetrators as a serious threat to national security.

“The most pressing challenge to our national security right now is the constant cases of armed robbery, especially along our border villages,” Cham told soldiers stationed in the area. “Everywhere we go, people express fear for their lives and the safety of their properties.”

CDS Cham painted a grim picture of criminal tactics employed by these gangs, stating that they often operate under the cover of night, particularly during local market days, known as Lumo. “These idiots sleep around the border villages and wait for Lumo Day. When everybody is asleep, they come with cutlasses or hunting guns, terrorizing people at gunpoint and looting everything,” he said.

In an unambiguous directive, the army chief told soldiers not to negotiate with such criminals. “If anybody attacks any Gambian village or shop—either with a cutlass or gun—with the intent to overpower and rob them, and you come across that, the order is to shoot to kill. There is no ambiguity about that,” he commanded, according to The Standard newspaper.

Lt. Gen. Cham further urged the troops to use their military training and tactical skills to “get close enough to the enemy and neutralize them.”

He stressed that anyone who takes up arms to rob civilians must be treated as an enemy of the state. “Such individuals are not mere criminals; they are enemies to the people and the country,” Cham declared.

The CDS also reassured troops of the government’s support in confronting this growing security threat, pledging that his office, alongside President Adama Barrow’s administration, is committed to addressing the army’s challenges within the limits of available resources.

The CDS’s tour of military installations across the country is ongoing.

Source: The Standard Newspaper