By Buba Gagigo
The Senegalese Army reported that nine of its personnel in the ECOMIG mission are “missing”, after a gun-firing incident between them and MFDC rebels in the Gambia territory on Monday .
“This operation was conducted as part of security action and to fight against trafficking and illegal exploitation of wood around the Senegal-Gambia border. During the confrontation that required a strong military action 1 rebel got killed and 3 others were captured. 9 military (personnel) remain unfound and are believed to have been captured by the MDFC,” the army said in a statement on Tuesday.
The Senegalese Army said Operations to identify the location of the “missing soldiers” and to secure the zone is currently ongoing.
“More than ever engaged in their mission of national protection, the army will continue to invest their relentless efforts to retrieve the disappeared militaries and to preserve the forest,” the statement added.
The Army, in a release on 24th January, confirmed that two of its personnel were killed during the shooting.
“During a security intervention in the south of Bwiam in The Gambia on Monday 24th 2022, around 10 o’clock , a military patrol was fired at by armed elements supposedly belonging to the MFDC – at an estimated recording of two combat groups onboard a truck carrying wood,” the army said. “The initial loss of a deputy army officer and a military officer from the rank, both fatally shot, is highly deplorable. After a chase and retaliation, a rebel armed with a Kalashnikov rifle got killed and two others got captured. Some additional support have been deployed to secure the area – operations are ongoing. The necessary arrangements have been made to provide the family of the deceased with the necessary support.”
It is reported that for the past 5 months, 77 trucks carrying logs from Senegal to The Gambia have been intercepted by the Senegal DETCEN5/MICEGA forces in the ECOMIG mission.