Nigeria’s National Defence College, NDC, Abuja in collaboration with the Economic Community of West Africa States, ECOWAS Commission have organized a five-day training for the police and gendarmerie in the region.
The objective of the training is to ensure that the police/Gendarmerie and Civilians who actively contribute to Peace support operations across the ECOWAS member states are readily equipped with the necessary tools for their evolving roles in contemporary Peace Support Operations within the West African context.
Ending terrorism will require the stabilisation of communities.
Declaring the training taking place at the NDC, Abuja open, the Commissioner of Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Abdel Musa said ending terrorism in the region will require the stabilisation of communities.
Musa added that “In terms of the training that we are going to have over the next, you know five days, I think, my appeal is that we contextualise the training within the current conflicts environment, you know in our region to give it meaning”.
The Commandant of the Defence College, NDC, Rear Admiral Murtala Bashir said the police component has become integral in Peace missions globally.
Adding that police components are vital structures of the ECOWAS policy, planning and mission management structures, ” In view of this, the Policing Sustainable Peace course is tailored towards training police and gendarmerie officers and Civilians who work closely with police on Peace Support Operations related matters within their capacities.”
The Commandant enjoined the participants to use the knowledge gained to assist the police component in Peace Support Operations in West Africa.
Meanwhile, the Representative of the European Union Ambassador Ms Samuel Isopi and the Head of Human Development, Leila Ben Amor said the training will focus on strengthening the efforts of ECOWAS in Peace Support Operations, conflict prevention, security sector reforms governance and electoral affairs.
” Training modules will focus on providing an understanding on how to apply principles and skills of strategic leadership in Peace Support Operations, enhancing the skills sets and expertise of police as well as civilians to handle issues in conflict and post conflict environment and identifying strategies that foster cohesive interagency relationships in peace support operations”.
The Acting Provost NDC, Julie Sanda representing the Provost Adam Okene Ahmed said the training was imperative due to the responsibilities of the Military, Police and the Civilians in peace missions.
The course titled “Policing Sustainable Peace: The Role of Police/Gendarmerie Officers in the Management of Peace Support Operations ,” is a result of the ECOWAS Training Needs Assessment (TNA) of 2019 which emphasizes more on training the Military, Police/Gendarmerie and Civilians and will run from the 8th to the 12th of May 2023.
PIAK
