Over 40 ECOWAS peacekeepers drill in laws of war

21 Novembre 2017

Monrovia, Liberia, November 21 (Infosplusgabon) - More than 40 members of the Economic Community of West African States-Standby Force (ECOWAS-SF) are undergoing a five-day training course in International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and rules of law enforcement in armed conflict.

According to a dispatch circulated from Abuja, Nigeria, the training is being jointly conducted by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the ECOWAS Commission to enhance the operational readiness of the ECOWAS-SF.

Speaking at the start of the session, ICRC’s Deputy Head of Delegation Jean-François Queguinner said Africa and the world live in times characterized by increasingly complex situations of armed conflict and violence, a situation that challenges Africans to show in their words and actions that wars have limits.

The ECOWAS Standby Force is a multi-disciplinary force composed of military, police and civilian personnel from the ECOWAS Member States that provides personnel for regional and continental Peace Support Operation Missions.

Queguinner noted that the integration of IHL and other rules applicable in law enforcement situations in the operations of the ECOWAS-SF should promote respect for these laws regardless of where members are deployed for peacekeeping operations in the region.

Also speaking, ECOWAS Commission Head for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Mrs. Halima Ahmed, called on the participants and Africans to ensure that the message of protecting civilians is always at the core of any peacekeeping mission.

ICRC conducted the same training in 2009 and 2016.

FIN/INFOSPLUSGABON/OLM/ GABON 2017

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