BRIGADIER GENERAL TURO JAWNEH, COMMANDER OF REPUBLICAN NATIONAL GUARD
Brigadier General Turo Jawneh was born on the 15th of January 1962 in Nyakoi Kerewan, Wuli West District, Upper River Region.
EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND
General Jawneh attended Nyakoi Primary School from 1969 to 1975. Later in the same year, he proceeded to St George’s Junior Secondary School where he spent four years before moving on to attend St Augustine’s High School from 1979 to 1981. In 1981, he sat to the high school leaving certificate examination (GCE O’ level) and acquired his school leaving certificates in the same year. He later pursued his GCE Advance level through private examination and successfully acquired his Advanced level certificate in the subsequent year. Upon completion of his basic formal education, Brigadier General Turo Jawneh attended pre-service and in-service training courses as an unqualified teacher and later taught at Pakalinding Primary school for one academic year.
POLICE AND MILITARY SERVICES
In 1982 General Jawneh enlisted into the Gambia Police Force and underwent months of intensive police recruitment training. Upon completion of his basic training, he was attached at the Brikama Police Station where he served as the station scribe. In 1983 underwent a basic Gendarmerie training course for a period of nine months as an “Eleve” Gendarme at the Gendarmerie training school. After successful completion of the basic training, he went through the Officer Cadet Selection Board (CSB) process as an officer candidate.
In 1984, the senior officer was promoted to the rank of an Officer Cadet and served under various capacities and disciplines within the Gendarmerie formation. In 1985 he was posted at the Admin and Quarter Master stores before being move to the Gendarmerie training school as a training instructor. Later on in the same year, he was moved to the Motor transport section as the Motor Transport Officer (MTO), and later posted to the security wing of the Gendarmerie as a Deputy Commander, a position he held until 1987.
In 1988, the Commander underwent overseas training course in the Kingdom of Morocco at the royal military academy in Meknes and later switched to a higher training institution – “Ecole Superieure D’ Application des Officiers De La Gendarmerie Royal”. He returned to The Gambia in August 1989 and was posted at the Presidential Guards and appointed as 2nd In Command.
In 1990 the General Officer served as a Secretary to the Security delegation led by Lt Col Pa Sallah Jagne, then Commander of the Gambia National Gendarmerie to the Republic of Turkey in order to worked out modalities for training of both officers and other ranks of the then Gambia National Gendarmerie. General Jawneh was privileged to visit the Turkish Gendarmerie General Command in Ankara. During this period, he was engaged in many meaningful discussions, which ultimately led to the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two forces. The cooperation between these two countries still exist.
In 1993 the senior officer benefited from a similar visit to the Republic of Egypt where he had received several lectures on Modus Operandi of Police duties at the Police Academy Headquarters and the higher studies college for training, development and research. Later in the same year, he assumed the position of commander Presidential Guards. During the same period, he went to The Federal republic of Nigeria to attend VIP Protection Training course at the Institute of State Security Service (SSS). Upon his returned to the Gambia, he continued as the commander of the presidential guards until 1994. In 1994 Brigadier General Jawneh was appointed as the de facto Assistant Inspector General of Police in charge of the Tactical Support Group (TSG) the Armed Wing of the Gambia Police Force.
In 1995 he was posted at the Police Training School and assigned with the task of creating the Police Intervention Unit (PIU) which he accomplished successfully. In December 1995, he was transferred to the Police Headquarters and appointed as the Commissioner of Admin and Personnel. In 1996 he took one year respite from the security sector and joined the hospitality industry. During this period, he served as the head of the Security before he was promoted by Board of Directors to the position of Human Resource Manager. In 2013 he was appointed as a Police Commissioner in charge of the Tourism Security Unit in the TDA. In 2015 he joined the Banking Industry and worked in the general service department of the Skye Bank Gambia Ltd. One year on, in November 2016, he won the best employee of the month award and later won the accolade of Best General Service Staff of Skye Bank Gambia Ltd.
RE-INSTATEMENT INTO THE GAMBIA ARMED FORCES
Due to his wealth of experience and indispensable service to the nation, General Jawneh was recalled back into the Gambia Armed Forces in 2017 and appointed Commander of the State Guards Battalion a position he held until 2020. Colonel Turo Jawneh was appointed as Commander of the Republican National Guard by His Excellency the President and Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces on 5 March 2020, a position he still holds.
