The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) of the Gambia Armed Forces, Lieutenant General Mamat O. Cham, has commenced his annual nationwide tour of military installations and deployments across the country.

The tour kicked off on Monday, 12 May 2025, with a ceremonial farewell Quarter Guard by the Gambia Navy at the Banjul Ferry Terminal. General Cham and his delegation then crossed the Banjul-Barra Ferry, where they were received at the Barra Terminal by Lieutenant Colonel Kurubally, the Commanding Officer of the 2 Infantry Battalion.

The first stop of the tour was at the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Ghanaian contingent base in Barra, where CDS Cham was welcomed with a formal Quarter Guard mounted by the troops. He was received by the Contingent Commander, Lieutenant Colonel Abdouraman Dery.

The CDS’s nationwide tour is part of an annual tradition aimed at assessing troop welfare, operational readiness, and strengthening morale within the ranks of the armed forces.