Cycle RECAMP V
Exercice Sawa 2006
Articles de Presse
Le document original peut être consulté sur le site de DailyNews.
Botswana, French military to collaborate in 'THOKGAMO 2005'at
Maun
25 November, 2004
GABORONE Botswana and France will collaborate in carrying out a common military peacekeeping RECAMP exercise code-named "THOKGAMO 2005" in Maun next June.
General Patrick Marengo of the French forces told a news conference at the French embassy on Friday that the purpose of the exercise was to increase the military capacity of African countries to engage in peacekeeping operations.
He added that it was also meant to strengthen Africa's sub-regional organisations on security issues by contributing to the development of mutual trust.
He said the exercise would introduce and train participants in command post and field training exercise to train a force equivalent to a brigade, a multinational African force to be involved in a peace keeping operations.
Marengo said the exercise would be conducted under Chapter Seven of the UN Chatter Framework of peacekeeping operations and would be careful not to bring about any shift in the balance of armed forces on the continent.
He said that the exercise was open to all African countries and not restricted to any particular linguistic area.
Marengo said Botswana was asked to host the RECAMP because of a splendid performance by the BDF in last year's exercise in Mozambique during the urban warfare training.
"Troops are trained in urban warfare because these days wars are fought in cities and towns and in Mozambique last year the BDF assembled a good field paratroopers' companies in urban warfare conducting a professional mission in all the assignments," Marengo said.
The RECAMP (Reinforcement of African Peacekeeping Capacity) exercise of this nature has already taken place in South Africa, Tanzania, Mozambique and Benin.
The Maun exercise will be funded by organisations interested in strengthening African peacekeeping capacity, which include France and other interested European Union (EU) states. BOPA
