Gambia's President Adama Barrow has fired the head of the armed forces, General Ousman Badjie, as he continues a clear-out of senior officials linked to the despotic rule of his predecessor. Badjie has been replaced by General Masanneh Kinteh, a former ambassador to Cuba and a special military adviser to Barrow since January.
As he took over from Badjie, Kinteh told reporters at defence headquarters in Banjul: "My immediate priority as chief of defence staff is to bring back the confidence in the troops to lift their morale." He added that he wanted to boost civil-military relations, which have "eroded over the period as a result of the political impasse". An army source told AFP that Badjie, who is set to be posted abroad, had handed over his official car and documents.
Barrow retook his oath of office on February 18, a month after he was sworn in across the border in neighbouring Senegal during a tense power struggle with his predecessor Yahya Jammeh. Jammeh had refused to step down following his defeat in December elections, but agreed to leave for exile on January 21 following negotiations with other west African leaders.
Comments
Comments are closed for this article.