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Gen. Wilson Mbasu Mbadi stressed the importance of training for Peace Support Operations in Africa and the need for a more impartial and multi-agency approach at the 17th African Conference of Commandants

The Chief of Defence Forces, Gen Wilson Mbasu Mbadi, said that the readiness of the military forces through training for all forms of Peace Support Operations is vital if Africa is to confidently boast of being in charge of its security architecture.

“Peace Support Operations which are supposed to be conducted impartially in support of a mandate involving military forces, diplomatic and humanitarian agencies to co-achieve a long-term political settlement, unfortunately, tend to be military reliant.”

According to the CDF, the majority of conflict situations necessitate the creation of peace in order to maintain and support it.

Under the theme of “Aligning Peace Support Operations Training in Africa to the Contemporary Security Scenarios,” Gen. Mbadi delivered the speech at the 17th African Conference of Commandants’ closing ceremony.

Additionally, he saw the State of Libya assume the chairmanship of the association from Uganda.

“I applaud this theme as a well-thought one and most befitting in the circumstances since according to the World Economic Forum, new wars, violent conflicts and civil unrest seem to be flaring up,” said Gen Mbadi.

Given Africa’s complex and confusing security environment, the defense chief urged the participants from their respective countries to make sure that the strategic outputs of the ACoC arrangement are tailored to Africa’s experiences so that it becomes a formidable tool. He praised Maj Gen George Igumba, the departing chairman, for organizing the conference effectively after Angola relinquished leadership in November 2022.

Maj Gen George Igumba, the outgoing chairman of ACoC and commandant of Senior Command and Staff College, Kimaka, expressed gratitude to the delegates for their unwavering support during his chairmanship and for accepting his invitation, which helped the conference succeed as a whole.

“Your commitment to ensuring that the aspirations of our strategic leaders for a United Africa is evident from the very thoughts we shared amongst ourselves since we converged a couple of days ago.” 

Gen. Igumba pushed his Libyan successor to develop a unified curriculum for African Command and Staff Colleges so as to improve military readiness, member engagement, and collaboration via exchange initiatives and combined joint military exercises. He expressed gratitude to the British Training Support Center – Africa’s partners for their assistance to the association.

In his remarks, Air Commodore Nouri Maghidr for the State of Libya, the association’s incoming chairman, noted that the occasion has evolved into a forum for discussion on a wide range of subjects relevant to the African continent. He expressed gratitude to the participants for their trust and for designating the State of Libya as the host and chair of the upcoming meetings.

The conference attracted delegates from Mauritania, Malawi, Kenya, Ghana, Cote D’Ivoire, Cameroon, Botswana, Burundi, Zimbabwe, the State of Libya, Zambia, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania, South Africa, Sierra Leone, Rwanda, Burundi, and observers from the African Centre for Strategic Studies and the British Training Support Centre – Africa.