Military tasked to enhance security in Africa

Accra, July 8, GNA - An International Peace Support Operations course ended in Accra on Friday with a call on African military personnel to enhance peace, security and stability for the political, social and economic development and growth of the continent. Mr William Ofori Boafo, Deputy Minister of Defence, who made the call at the end of the course, urged African military officers to develop a strong security network to help defuse the political tension, and protect against external aggression, internal conflicts as well as communal violence.

The course, attended by 90 African and three American Military Officers was to build the capacity of the officers in peace support operations and to enhance regional peacekeeping capacity by promoting the understanding of the principles and procedures involved in the planning, co-coordinating and conduct of complex, multifaceted, multinational and inter-agency peace-support operations.

The course was also structured to build the capacity of African countries to address the teething problems of planning, directing and the conduct of regional and sub-regional mounted peacekeeping missions and meet the mandate of the African Union, which required the five sub-regional group to establish a Standby Force.

Mr Boafo reminded the officers of their obligations and responsibilities for ensuring peace and tranquillity to enable the citizenry to pursue their socio-economic development goals. The Deputy Minister also expressed concern about the proliferation of armed conflicts and violence, especially in Africa.

"These violent conflicts have devastated the very fabric of the societies of the countries concerned and its attendant damages to the political, social and economic development and growth. "We as Africans, therefore have a responsibility to ensure that we take advantage of all efforts by the international community to assist us develop our own capacity, to control, plan and manage future conflicts," he said.

Mr Boafo therefore, urged the course participants to "let the knowledge acquired reflect in their various appointments and deployments back home."