Vice President Muhammed B.S. Jallow has told the National Assembly that ECOMIG forces will remain in The Gambia for as long as their presence is considered necessary, saying there is no fixed date for the withdrawal of the regional security mission.

The vice president was responding to questions from the National Assembly Member for Central Badibou, Hon. Sulayman Saho, about the continued presence of ECOMIG troops in the country.

He said the deployment is subject to regular assessment by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which determines whether the mission is still needed.

“I wish to inform this august Assembly that the presence of ECOMIG will continue to be assessed, and when the need no longer exists, they will be withdrawn through the appropriate channel,” he said.

Jallow explained that ECOMIG’s presence is governed by a multilateral arrangement involving ECOWAS, rather than a bilateral agreement between The Gambia and any individual country.

He said ECOWAS conducts annual assessments of the mission as part of determining whether its continued deployment remains necessary.

ECOMIG was deployed to The Gambia following the country’s political crisis in 2017, when regional forces entered the country to support the peaceful transfer of power and help maintain stability.

By Adama Makasuba