The National Malaria Control programme, in collaboration with the regional Health team in Western Region, will today embark on a six-day DDT house spraying exercise in Foni. Speaking in an exclusive interview with Health Matters, Balla Kandeh, senior program officer National Malaria Control Programme, said over 300 spraymen have been trained recently to embark on this exercise.

He stated that the pilot project is aimed at indoor residual spraying  as an additional  strategy designed for  operation  Eradicate  Malaria Initiative which  was launched early this year by the vice-president.

Mr Kandeh noted that malaria is one of the world’s most serious tropical diseases and imposes significant economic costs on the poorest nations around the world, including The Gambia. He added that the historical successes in controlling malaria are due in  large part to the use of DDT  in malaria vector  control.

According to reports, there has been a sharp rise in  malaria cases in sub- Saharan African countries due to factors such as high rainfall, increased migration and reduction in the use of DDT in vector control.

According to him, the World Health Organisation report indoor residual spraying (IRS)is a major intervention  for malaria  control.

He has assured the general public that the spray is safe and called them on them to co-operate with spray operators.

He has also disclosed that a similar exercise would be carried out in the Greater Banjul Area.

Mr Kandeh pointed out that the Government of The Gambia with partners are doing their level best to eradicate malaria in the country.

The Alkalo of Gilanfarr, Kawsu Badjie, has told The Point that the recent upsurge in rebel attacks in Foni is beginning to subside. According to him, people in the area, particularly farmers, have for the past few months been living lives of discomfort and fear because of the attacks. He stated that they are now enjoying a period of relative peace of mind as the attacks are decreasing. “This is something we really have been praying for. We now have some peace of mind and we can go back to our farms without any fear of intimidation,” Mr. Badjie said.

The Alkalo, who has been serving in the position for 27 years, confirmed that there is safety in parts of Foni now including some border villages. He finally thanked the Gambian and Senegalese governments for their efforts in bringing about a cease-fire that has allowed proper farming to resume.

Many farmers who spoke to this reporter confirmed what the Alkalo said and expressed similar sentiments. They expressed their desire to see the end of the rebellion in Cassamance.

As Rebel Attacks Intensify

As the rainy season draws near, Foni farmers sharing a border with neighbouring Casamance are reported to be facing difficulties in their farming activities due to what many describe as sporadic gun fire from the Casamance zone.

According to reports emanating from Foni, fighting intensified about a month ago when rebels of the Movement for Democratic Change (MFDC) started aggression.

The unfolding situation, described by many as pathetic, is said to have left farmers within that area with no other option but to stay away from their farms for fear of possible attacks.

In an interview with these reporters on his farm, Malamin Badjie from the village of Baipai in Western Region, said: “It is very risky to work in a place where gun shots are constantly heard, one after another. Many farmers are suffering at home because of fear of losing their lives.”

The 53-year-old farmer called on the security forces of the two countries, The Gambia and Senegal, to come to their aid so as to enable them cultivate their crops in the coming rainy season. “The security forces are doing very well but they need to redouble their efforts,” he said.

Many other farmers who spoke to The Point on condition of anonymity, expressed the same sentiments.

President Jammeh told the people of Foni that by 2009 he would stop providing assistance to them if they failed to heed his call to take up agriculture.

He made this statement on Tuesday at a meeting in Ndemban, Foni Berefet. “You cannot be helping people until you yourself become poor. By 2009, I will stop helping from Bullock to Kalagi,” he stated.

The Gambian leader cited the current absence of magnificent non-public infrastructure in the Fonis as a glaring indication of searing poverty, a situation he blamed on the failure of the people of the area to “go back to the land” to earn a living. “How many storey buildings can you find in the Fonis?” he asked.

He went on further to recall his school days, saying that despite living in the urban areas, he used to return to the Fonis to harvest baobab and palm tree fruits to sell for his own welfare.

According to President Jammeh, the youths in Foni are not doing that now, leaving all in the hands of non-Gambians who he said come to harvest their fruits and sell it back to them again. He stressed the importance of food self-sufficiency, saying: “People are saying that I am a doctor and I can cure any sort of sickness but when it comes to hunger, I cannot do anything about it.”

The President used the occasion to call on the youths of Foni, whom he said abandoned the Fonis for fear of witchcraft, to return home, assuring them that there is no longer anything to fear.

Mr. Jammeh revealed that his government would be coming up with a $12m (Twelve million dollars) project to adequately build the capacities of farmers in Foni.

The project, he went on, would provide bore holes and other relevant equipment for them to engage in actual farming for a decent living. “You cannot go on begging all the time for a living,” he said.

From Ndemban, President Jammeh and entourage proceeded to Sibanor in Foni Bintang where he visited the CCF water pyramid.

Impressed by the project, he vowed to establish seven of such projects each year across the country with the ultimate objective of providing clean and potable water to the populace.

Meanwhile, President Jammeh will today continue his tour with a visit to the Holland Foundation-sponsored clinic in Kololi from where he will proceed to the buffer zone in Tallinding for a victory celebration.

The Gambian leader will tomorrow end his ‘Dialogue with the People tour’ with a mass victory celebration at the 22nd July Square in Banjul.