Brigadier-General, Lang Tombong Tamba  was appointed Chief of Defence Staff in March 2006, in the aftermath of the March 21st abortive coup, led by his predeccessor, Colonel Ndure Cham.

Before his present portfolio, he had served as the Deputy Chief of Defence Staff for about two years and later served as the State Guard Commander for nearly eight years. Those who are opportune to know him, describe him as a man of unparrallel integrity who works towards the betterment of humanity.

In this encounter with Daily Observers’ Pa Malick Faye, at his Marina Parade Office, in Banjul on Wednesday October, 17,2007, the Sintet born Army Chief talks on a wide range of issues concerning his profession, among others. Below is the excerpt.

Give a brief background of your humble self?

My name is Lang Tombong Tamba and my rank is Brigadier-General. I was born in Sintet village in Foni Jarrol District of the Western Region. I am happily married with kids and am around the 40’s. I attended Sintet Primary School and later got admission into Nustrat High School from 1981 to 1986, where I sat  my GCE O’ Level Examination. While sitting to my exams, I went for a military selection at the then National Gendamarie. Immediately, after completing the exams I joined the Gendamarie on 1st August, 1986.

What motivated you to join the military?

Actually what motivated me is not a matter of coincidence. But, my colleagues could attest to the fact that I told them I would join the military after completing high school education. For them, it was not a surprise because they knew I was an active member of the then President’s Award Scheme, and also the Young Farmers Club, at the school. In life, you have to get an objective, and once you decide upon it, you have to work hard towards achieving it.

How was the military like when you joined at that time?

I joined as a recruit and at that time I never thought of becoming an officer. Recruitment in the military  takes two forms, that’s you are either recruited as a soldier or an officer.

For me, I was recruited as a soldier and got my first promotion in 1989, as a Lance Corporal and later rose through the ranks to become a Brigadier-General.

The military then and now seems quite different. From your own perspective, what are the differences?

The military then was seen as a place for school drop -outs and jobless people. As a result, no particular attention was given to them in terms of welfare, accomodation, pay and mobility, among others.

Prior to your appointment as the Deputy and later Chief of Defence Staff, you have served as the Commander of State Guards- a position of trust and confidence as the Head of the President’s security for a number of years. Can you share with our readership, how you were able to perform that sensitive post to the satisfaction of the President?

Thank-you. Right I served as Commander of State Guards for seven to eight years. For me, I believe whatever my success may be, it’s due to the support given to me by the President, as well as the support from the officers and men I command at that time. Also, the civillian staff and my family members. So, any successes I might have achieved is from those people.

Another important thing is the loyalty and dedication to duties, which also earned me the required successes.

Being someone who closely worked with President Jammeh since 1994. How would you describe him to someone who had never had the opportunity to get closer and interact with him?

I would describe President Jammeh as a man with a big heart, who wants to achieve positive results. He is a man who is sympathetic to the weak, the poor and the needy. He is also a man who believes in sharing and caring, and loves children. Above all, he is a great man.

You have undertaken several missions to Sierra Leone as Military Observer during the civil war. Can you share your experience with the general public?

My first mission to Sierra Leone was in July 1999  to 2000, when the UN newly deployed troops there. Myself and the former CDS[Ndure Cham] were the first Gambians to be sent there. I had a great experience in interacting with my colleagues from the sub-region and beyond.

However, I had encountered so many challenges as I was responsible for the briefing of any arrested rebels. I travelled occasionally to the provinces and in most cases after successfully completing my mission, I would receive reports of vehicles being attacked and people killed. And this happens in the same route I undertook. But, God has always been there for me and we were able to raise the Gambian flag high to the pride of our colleagues. In fact, in any dangerous place, we the Gambians are given the task to carry out, because we are easily compartible in society.

I was back in Sierra Leaone from December 2003  to December 2004. During this time, I was the Head of the Gambian Observer Mission, and because of my vast experience I was given the role of a Team Leader for the various sectors I served.

Since your appointment as the Chief of Defence Staff, what are your achievements and shortcomings?

For me, I always believe that I should be judged by those I am serving. Whatever I might have achieved was made possible through the spirit of team work I had with my staff. So, I will leave it to the readers to judge me and my team on our successes and shortcomings as this will enable us to improve for the better.

You played an active role in foiling the March 2006 abortive coup. What was your reaction when you first learned of the plot?

My reaction at first was of a disbelief, because all the members of the Armed Forces were convinced that we have the right leadership in place. Everyone knows that President Jammeh has done a lot to improve the status of the Armed Forces. Also, he has within a short period of time developed the country, so some of us could not fold our hands and see these achievements go in vain. So, we the loyalists stood up to counter it with the help of Allah.

Do you think the coupists had any moral justification for their move?

No. In my opinion it is out of greed.

Heading the military is not an easy task. How were you able to keep up with the momentum?

I agree with you that it is not an easy task, but if you have the support of the leadership and those you command with a sense of loyalty and dedication to duties  then the Almighty Allah will always be on your side. So, am happy to say that I have the support of the leadership [President Jammeh] and all those I command.

 You can see for yourself that  in the Armed Forces the soldiers you meet, you can be able to distinguish which service they belong to. For example, the National Army uses the green berets, while the Gambia National Guards put on the blue berets and the Navy, the black berets.

The Gambian military nowadays is playing an active role in peace-keeping missions abroad. Do you at any given time receive complaints about their attitudes?

Am happy to say that since The Gambia started to participate in international peace support operations, there had been more and more requests forthcoming for its increase participation, due to continuous remarkable achievements.

So, I want to say that The Gambia should be proud of these achievements. Anybody who is in doubt can find out from the AU and the UN;  and will not find any negative report on The Gambia’s peacekeepers. For that being the case, Gambians should be proud of having a professional Armed Forces. 

Talks in the grapevine state that the mode of  selection of peacekeepers within the military, is based on patronage system. For example, one has to be in his/her boss’ good books before you are selected. Is this the case?

Peace-keeping missions has two categories, one of which is the Observer Mission. In this category, the mode of selection is transparent as there are guidelines set up by the AU and the UN peace-keeping departments. Among some of the criteria, is that one has to be fluent in the English Language and be able to drive a car. So once we get this, there is a task force that conducts the selection process.

The other category of peacekeepers, the criteria are very straight forward. In this, Unit Commanders who had overall command of their men makes recomendation and everything is compiled; and the next step is to take the fitness into account and medical test and those qualified are the one’s selected. I can happily say that  the selection process in the Army is second to none in terms of fairness. In fact in the military, we believe in one thing that’s give merit to those who deserve it.

Civil /Military relationship is a prequisite in any organised society. But in The Gambia, we have instances where men in uniform act like demi-gods bullying civilians they are supposed to protect. What is your office doing to put an end to this menace?

Let me make this clear, when I  took over as the Chief of Defence Staff, one of my top priorities was to improve the already tarnished civil/military relationship. You will agree with me that in those days there have been numerous reports in the media of the military harrashing civillians. So, I took a firm stance on that by sensitising the soldiers for them to understand that they servants of the people and should not intimidate them.

In my observation, this has reduced but I can’t say we have 100 percent perfection in the attitudes of our men. It is important for the public to know that you cannot have 100 percent good soldiers as even in our families which are far too small, compared to the size of the military we have stubborn ones. But in the military, we are doing everything possible to encourage good civil/military relationship, by organisning workshops to exploit areas to further strengthen the relationship.

You have demonstrated a keen interest in football in The Gambia  for a long time until you were given the post of First Vice-President of the Gambia Football Association. What attract you into the game of football?

Football used to be a game I love since my school days. I had a vision to become a full time footballer until I had a fracture on my leg. I then did a course in sport administration in 1991 and became the Secretary-General of the Interservice Sports Association and later Team Manager of the Armed Forces, while at the same time serve as the President of NISA.

Being the Head of the Army and at the same time GFA’s First Vice-President, is indeed a huge responsibility. Which one occupies most of your times.

Certainly, my responsibility as the CDS superceeds that of the Second Vice-President of the GFA, simply because security responsibility cannot be compared to any other responsibility. So, I give full time to my work as the CDS.

From your point of view, what is the state of football in The Gambia?

Football is gaining momentum in The Gambia as a lot of success is being registered and the outside world gets to know The Gambia.

However, I believe we still had a long way to go, though expectations are high, but it must go alongside with patience as I believe we can gradually become a great footballing nation, by reaching the senior world cup. But, this needs the support of the private sector as government alone cannot do it.

Getting official version of stories concerning the military most times, proved difficult for journalists. Don’t you think there is need for openness?

When I took over, I equipped the office of the Army PRO and bring it directly under my control. I have also sensitised the Armed Forces for the need to maintain a cordial relationship with the media and the general public. The PRO has made available his contact numbers to all the media houses; and is always cooperative to shed light on issues.

We are aware that, if society is ignorant of the activities of the Armed Forces, it can have a negative impact on our day-to-day operations and  that’s why the PRO’S office has been mandated to work closely with the media.

Your last word

I want to remind  all Gambians that the greatest  asset we have is peace, which should be jealously guarded. There cannot be any sustainable development in the absence of peace and stability.

 The responsibility of providing it, should not be left in the hands of the President, the Armed and Security Services alone, but should be seen as a collective responsibilty of all, irrespective of religion, race, sex or political affiliations as violence has no boundary. I’m also calling on religious leaders to continue  to pray  for  peace, so that Gambians can continue to enjoy in the country.

I am also calling on the public and the private sector to come forward and support the Armed and Security Services as peace is crucial to investment; and by doing so they would be complementing the efforts of the goverment in the up-keep and maintenance of the security services

Also, I would thank the President and Commander- in -Chief of the Armed  Forces for the continuous support he is rendering to the Armed and Security Services, by creating the enabling environment for them to operate smoothly.