Regional peacekeeping conference

A two-day workshop to promote military cooperation in future Southern Africa development Community (SADC)peacekeeping operations opened in the Zimbabwe capital Harare on Wednesday. Hosted by SADC's regional peacekeeping centre and organised by the South African-based Institute for Security Studies (ISS), the workshop brought together some 20 military and civilian staff from three SADC countries as a well as outside experts from Kenya, Britain, Denmark and the United Nations to discuss the challenges facing joint action in the region. An ISS spokesman told IRIN the conference would focus mainly on practical issues around developing a common military doctrine for SADC peacekeeping operations. He said it also aimed to contribute to the global debate on how the professional military can intervene effectively to stop civil conflict. "Lessons learned from African missions can make an important contribution to wider military thinking," he said. "But it is important that a common doctrine is first developed to pull together our experiences from the continent." Analysts said the conference takes place against the background of a likely role for the SADC in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).