Global Policy Forum

By Ruth Nabakwe

Defence officials in Paris announced the launch of the third Phase of their training initiative for African soldiers aimed at reinforcing peacekeeping on the continent.

Military personnel from all Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) countries plus two non-SADC members Kenya and Madagascar would contribute soldiers to the military training to be held in Tanga, Tanzania 11-23 February, the officials said Tuesday in Paris.

The French ambassador in charge of the RECAMP (Reinforcement of African Capacity to Maintain Peace), Guy Azaias told journalists that 16 countries would contribute 900 soldiers to for the exercise. He said the programme aims to train African battalions to carry out peacekeeping operations and be able to participate in a brigade size force conducting peacekeeping operations as part of a sub-regional framework.

"Under the aegis of the UN and in agreement with the OAU, the RECAMP Programme aims at helping African states to acquire military capabilities to enable them to conduct peacekeeping operations on the continent," he noted.

The third phase of the program dubbed "Tanzanite" was being co- organised by France and the Tanzania government under the framework of the SADC.

Several international organisations including donors and observer countries as well as humanitarian NGOs would bring their expertise in the peacekeeping operations.

During the RECAMP training exercises Canada, Belgium and Spain would set up a hospital in a football ground in Tanga that would benefit the local population.

Earlier, brochures in the Kiswahili language announcing the upcoming RECAMP exercise were distributed to the local population in Tanga get them aware of the programme.

He said the RECAMP initiative "is part of the re-orientation of French defence policy towards Africa and is in line with the new thinking towards democracy, transparency and partnership in a spirit of mutual trust that constitute the cornerstone of the initiative".

Azaias noted that peacekeeping was becoming an essential international concern whose principle components were training, peacekeeping exercises as well as provision of equipment.

Far from pulling out of Africa, he noted that France was in fact re-orienting its assistance, according to the will expressed by African nations, to assume the leading role in the management of crises on the continent.

In a bid to prevent crisis in a co-ordinated way, Azaias said RECAMP was not a competitor but a complimentary strategy to similar programmes undertaken in Africa like the US-led ACRI initiative, both proposed in UN recommendations.

France first launched RECAMP in 1997, and Senegalese troops participated in phase one while their counterparts in Gabon received training in phase two.

French Admiral Raymond Masson said some 900 soldiers were expected to participate in the upcoming exercise.