The Deputy Chief of Defence Staff of Gambia Armed Forces, General Yankuba Drammeh, has told a group of newly promoted officers that “soldiers should not be involved in politics”.

General Drammeh, who was presiding over a promotion ceremony at the army headquarters in Banjul, said soldiers should leave politics to the politicians and focus on their mandate of protecting the country. He said they should always be loyal to the Gambian constitution and respect the will of the people.   

He said promotion in the military should always be an annual event to deserving officers and soldiers who excel in their performances.

He reminded the newly promoted soldiers that promotion “is in recognition of hard work, dedication to duty, integrity, selfless service, diligence and loyalty which the soldiers must fulfil. To whom much is given much is expected.”

The deputy army commander said that security should be the concern of every soldier as it was their prime responsibility to ensure that the country was safe and peaceful.

“Our prime function as members of the Armed Forces is to protect and defend the territorial integrity of the Gambia,” said General Drammeh.

Malick Sanyang, deputy PRO of the Gambia Armed Forces, said the promotion ceremony was for soldiers serving at Defence Headquarters.

He said the criteria for promotion was based on discipline, dedication to duty, professionalism in work and also the amount of years the soldier had stayed in a particular rank.

“The higher you go in rank the more challenging the responsibilities,” he said.

Alasan Sanyang, the most senior officer among those promoted expressed his appreciation on behalf of the group and said they would continue to work hard to face the challenges of their new positions. 

“This is another challenge for us as we are elevated, we have new responsibilities,” he said.

The promotion ranks range from Lance Corporals to Warrant Officers and the ceremony was held at the Army Headquarters on Tuesday May 21.