Canada trains AU military officers

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS - Two Rwandan military officers are among twenty-five officers of the African Union attending a ten-day training in Tactical Operations Staff Course in peacekeeping in Nairobi, Kenya. The Canadian Department of Defence and the International Peace Support Training Centre of Kenya are conducting the training at the International Mine Action Training Centre. The first phase of the course commenced on October 8. The second will kick off on October 29; according to Military Spokesman Maj. Jill Rutaremara, this will also be attended by two more Rwandan military officers. A statement from the Canadian High Commission on October 10 said the trainees represent a diverse cross-section of other African nations including Algeria, Benin, Burundi, Uganda, Kenya, Senegal Egypt, Mali, Namibia, Tanzania and Zambia. The training follows the recent renewed violence in Sudan’s war-ravaged Darfur region in which ten African Union Peacekeepers were killed. Major Mike Calnan, an architect of the training from the Canadian Defense Department, said that the course will prepare trainees with the basic skills necessary to effectively participate in peacekeeping operations in mid to high intensity environments.The course intends to provide juniors and field officers — majors and captains— with skills and knowledge of Command Post operations to enable them address the crisis in the region and function in global peace operations as well. “The tactical operation Staff Course is part of a comprehensive response to the Darfur crisis and efforts to restore peace in the region through peacekeeping training for the African Union,” Major Calnan said. The Canadian Military Training Assistance Programme is a key instrument of Canadian foreign policy and defence diplomacy, promoting Canadian interests and values abroad and contributing to international peace and security as well.Ends