Maravi

(HERALD) ‘Zim to continue supporting regional peacekeeping efforts’

‘Zim to continue supporting regional peacekeeping efforts’
Herald Reporter

GOVERNMENT is committed to making the dream of a vibrant Sadc multi-dimensional peacekeeping force a reality, a senior official has said. Speaking during the closing ceremony of the Sadc Brigade Peace Support Course in Harare on Friday, Secretary for Foreign Affairs Ambassador Joey Bimha said Zimbabwe, as the host of the Regional Peacekeeping Training, had a special responsibility and would continue to give support to the region’s peacekeeping efforts.

"One cannot over-emphasise the importance of peace in the region’s development. Indeed, peace and peaceful resolution of conflicts are prerequisites for development.

"It is for this reason that the promotion of peace, security and stability are major objectives of Sadc and the African Union," he said.

Ambassador Bimha said the continent’s socio-economic development goals could only be realised in an environment of peace, security and political stability.

The Regional Peacekeeping Training Centre commander, Colonel Milanzi, said the launch of the Sadc Brigade last year highlighted a major achievement in the area of peace and security.

"The training centre, as a centre of excellence in peace support operations for the region, has a big role to play in identifying and planning for the brigade’s training needs and achieve the region’s peace and security objectives," he said. Col Milanzi said the Sadc Brigade training plans were part of the continental peace and security architecture.

He said the RPTC had set a number of courses for this year to support Sadc’s peace and security agenda taking into account the regional dynamics and its roles and obligations within the larger AU and United Nations contexts.

The Sadc Brigade Peace Support Course, which drew 49 participants from 13 Sadc countries and others from Nigeria, Uganda and Ethiopia, gave participants an insight into key aspects of peace support operations.

Key players in the modern peacekeeping environment, including civilians, police and the military, also attended.

Sadc members in the early 1990s started taking part in peace support operations with individual countries conducting peace support training.

However, the region formed the RPTC after realisation that a co-ordinated effort in peace support training was necessary in order to achieve effectiveness and uniformity. The centre was established in 1999 under the auspices of the Zimbabwe Government but has since been handed over to the Sadc Secretariat after the signing of the host agreement and official handover to the Interstate Defence and Security Committee in 2005.

The RPTC has become a "centre of excellence", harmonising peacekeeping training, and, in the process, enhancing Sadc’s capacity to respond to conflict management and resolution, and maintaining stability within the region.

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posted by MrK @ 6:46 PM