Former Chief of Defence Staff Brigadier-General (rtd) Joseph Nunoo-Mensah has advised sub-regional bloc Ecowas against resorting to military intervention in the crisis in The Gambia. “I will caution against military intervention. They have led to chaos. War must be the last resort.”

Leadership of the Economic Community of West African States, Ecowas, has resolved to eject President Yahya Jammeh in his attempt to stay on to power after losing the December 1 elections.

After initially conceding defeat, President Jammeh made a U-turn to reject the results from the country’s electoral body. But President-elect Adama Barrow has consistently maintained that his investiture will be held on Thursday, January 19 at the Independence Stadium in Bakau, as scheduled. Currently in Senegal, where he has been since Saturday, January 14, Mr Barrow is expected to be accompanied by a joint subregional military force for the inauguration.

The outgoing president has, however, declared a 90-day emergency in the West African state, thereby extending his reign after it officially ends on Wednesday, January 18. But speaking on TV3’s Midday Live on Wednesday, B-G (rtd) Nunoo-Mensah said all peaceful avenues should be exhausted before the military approach. “War will cause mayhem and chaos,” he stressed.

He added that it is best to consider “many other avenues before we resort to war,” explaining that the repercussions of war have always not augured well for the people. The former National Security Advisor pointed out that similar piece of advice was given by him to Ghana’s late president, John Evans Atta Mills, regarding the Ivorian situation of 2009.