The soldiers of the ECOWAS military intervention in the Gambia (ECOMIG) will start wearing Brown Berets instead of the Green Berets they have been wearing until now.

The forces commander, Colonel Flugence Ndour, on Friday announced that troops serving with the mission are set to begin wearing brown berets.

Colonel Ndour said the berets will have a metallic ECOWAS Logo as the cap badge, which will make it distinctive from any similar ones already in use by any of the security forces within and outside of the Gambia.

“This is in consonance with the global practice where international and regional organizations conducting peace support operations use distinctive colour codes for berets, mufflers, arm bands and shoulder flashes.

“From time immemorial, the United Nations has been using the Blue Berets and the Africa Union has adopted the Green Berets. The ECOWAS Brown Berets is therefore in line with this international practice,” said Col Ndour.

“It must be noted that ECOMIG troops, in their camouflage uniforms which are distinctive to their countries of origin, already do wear the brown shoulder/arm bands which has the ECOWAS logo on it. The use of the brown berets and ceremonial brown mufflers therefore completes the dress code as part of standardization,” he added.