Tobaski – the general name for Eid-Al-Adha in The Gambia, was celebrated on Sunday 16 June 2024.

To commemorate the occasion, the Civil-Military Cooperation (CIMIC) Team of ECOMIG GHANCOY 8 led by the Officer Commanding (OC), Lieutenant Colonel (Lt Col) Abraham Puoriyelle Dery donated 2 rams, assorted items and medications to the communities of Essau and Berending.

The Company presented a ram each to the Central Mosques of Essau and Berending together with an assortment of items – prayer mats, ablution kettles, bottled water, bags of rice, cooking oil and soft drinks.

During the presentation, Lt Col Dery extended the greetings of the Military High Command of the Ghana Armed Forces and Force Commander of the ECOMIG Forces. The donation, he stated, was the Ghanaian Contingent’s symbolic gesture as part of ECOMIG to follow in Abraham's sacrifice on the occasion of Eid. It was his expectation that the gesture would go a long way in building on the existing relations between ECOMIG and the community of Essau.

The Chief Imam of Essau Central Mosque, who received the donation on behalf of the community extended his gratitude on behalf of the Chief Alkalo and the whole of Essau. He prayed for Allah’s blessings for ECOMIG. 

Additionally, the Team donated assorted medications and bottled water to the Essau District Hospital.

Receiving the items on behalf of the facility, the Head of Pharmacy extended gratitude to the CIMIC Team emphasizing how beneficial the medical supplies would be to the hospital. He acknowledged the extensive support the hospital had received from the Ghanaian contingents over the years and took the opportunity to pray for Allah’s blessings for all present.

The Tobaski donations were the Ghanaian Contingent’s maiden CIMIC activity aimed at building on the efforts of the previous contingents to further enhance the good relations it has with the communities within its area of responsibility (AOR).