SADC peacekeeping brigade moves ahead

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has moved a step closer to forming a rapid response brigade for deployment in peacekeeping operations and hotspots on the continent and elsewhere. At the end of the multinational Exercise Thokgamo (Setswana for serenity) in Maun on Thursday the regional bloc's executive secretary, Dr Prega Ramsamy, said SADC had demonstrated its commitment to play a positive role in the establishment and maintenance of a peaceful, stable and secure Africa. The peacekeeping exercise was set in the framework of a civil war in Ngamiland, a fictitious southern African country, where order was subsequently restored by 3,300 troops from 12 of the 14 SADC countries: Botswana, Angola, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Malawi, Tanzania, South Africa, Swaziland, Lesotho, Zambia, Madagascar and Mozambique. Mauritius and the Democratic Republic of Congo did not participate in the training programme. "This exercise paves the way for the involvement of SADC in peacekeeping operations not only in Southern Africa but also beyond the borders of our region, under the mandate of the UN and the African Union (AU)," Ramsamy commented. The AU has decided to form regional military brigades in North Africa, East Africa, Southern Africa, West Africa and Central Africa for use in collective security efforts by the international community. SADC member countries were also exposed to regional cooperation and political goodwill in peacekeeping, decision-making, humanitarian relief operations, casualty evacuation, information gathering, hostage rescue and stress management, said Ramsamy. Botswana's President Festus Mogae said Exercise Thokgamo had "demonstrated to the world" that the region had the will and capacity to secure its own future. "Besides being positioned to react to local threats, this brigade will become the pillar of the all-African Standby Force, which is being established by the AU," said Mogae. The region had been a focal point of armed conflict not long ago, he observed, "as our people struggled to free themselves from the shackles of colonialism and apartheid, but today we are increasingly able to enjoy the fruits of sustained peace". "From being a location of international concern and political rivalry, Southern Africa has thus transformed into an example for others of what can be achieved through reconciliation and a common purpose," Mogae said. SADC states were increasingly engaged in international peace efforts, as recent events "have confirmed our global village is confronted with emerging threats that can only be effectively addressed if we are brave enough to see beyond what is parochial, so as to achieve a new multilateral consensus on securing our common destiny", he added. "While Exercise Thokgamo has been a practical manifestation of regional self-reliance and Pan-African ideas, it is also evidence of the potential for wider multilateral partnerships in meeting global security challenges," Mogae pointed out. Twenty-four NGOs from the region and 51 officers of the Botswana Police Services were also involved. Exercise commander Brigadier Letsogile Motsumi of the Botswana Defence Forces said the manoeuvres were organised by Botswana and France in terms of France's Re-Enforcement of African Capabilities in Peacekeeping Programme (RECAMP). It was important to note the broad participation of SADC member states in Exercise Thokgamo, commented South African Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota, saying, "We will now have a regional standby brigade which is made up of all SADC member states."