Gambian army In Pregnancy Galore

As  Over 25 Young Girls Reportedly  Got Pregnant By Soldiers

By Staff Reporter James Jammeh, Banjul

The Gambian military is battling out with disturbing information regarding mass pregnancies caused by some of its men. A group of soldiers based at a military post in Bulock in Foni Berefet District in the Western Region (their are so many of them these days in Gambia, especially in this part of the country) is the subject of this particular round of accusation. They are believed to have caused the impregnation of over twenty young girls, all believed to be teenagers.

Giving an account of the story to our reporter who visited the place, Musa Badji, a native of Bulock Village, stressed that residents in the area are very much disappointed by the pregnancy scandal. He alleged that within a year after their deployment in the Fonis, the soldiers' behaviors and manners have been the subject of constant complaints by parents and wardens. Mariama Sanyang who made no effort to hide her feeling of disgust with the issue, said the people are wondering why such a terrible thing has been going for a long time now, yet the government fails to act on it. She warned that the rest of the young girls in the area are at risk of becoming victims of the men who make no effort in hiding their promiscuous life.

Reports around the world indicate a substantial level of infection rates of HIV/AIDS among military men. The Gambian military is no exception. It is in fact among the most notorious for sexual misbehavior. They are well known for taking advantage of the unfair advantage their uniform give them to meet their sexual desires, which means making no effort to hide their promiscuity. And also given the fact that they are well taken care of in terms of their daily supply and other social facilities like medical care and water supply, which the largely poor communities they are often surrounded by hardly have the privilege of, young women are lured into courtship for want of sharing these privileges at military barracks. The result is wanton results of pregnancies and related societal problems.

"Instead of the soldiers performing their functions,'' said an angry Kaddy Jammeh, who appears no less concerned about the ramifications of these seemingly unending pregnancies, ''they are impregnating young girls, most of whom are at school going age.''

But Kady is not alone in her worries. She shares the concern with almost the entirety of the people in the village where this Freedom Newspaper reporter visited. They were unanimous in their call for the relevant authorities to intervene as soldiers are now going beyond the boundary, noting that the people would no more accept such a thing. Some went close to openly throwing the blame, partly, on the president's Kanilai 'International' Festival, hosted and organized annually by the Gambian leader, which they said has undoubtedly contributed with the tacit encouragement of the indiscriminate use of condoms. Apparently this has been a subject of discuss among a few religious leaders who shun the president's tactics of material inducement. But Yahya Jammeh has been able to live through by controlling the country's most influential religious leaders who control the state managed religious groupings like the Gambia Supreme Islamic Council (GSIC).

An insider at the Yundum Military Barracks who begged for cover confirmed the story, saying that just a week ago, a similar complaint was lodged against a soldier who allegedly impregnated a young, orphaned Arabic student girl, only to abandon her as soon as her belly protruded.

 ENDS: 12/24/09