ACCORD, through its Training for Peace Programme (TfP), participated in an SADC Exercise Planning Meeting that took place in Lilongwe, Malawi from 23 to 27 April 2018. The Planning Meeting was the third in a series of meetings that has been planned in preparation for the regional Command Post Exercise (CPX), which will take place in Malawi on 26 September to 17 October 2018. The CPX has been arranged in response to the announcement by the African Union Commission (AUC) that SADC will be next on the standby roster to respond to conflict on the continent from 01 January to 30 June 2019.
The meeting brought together the following regional entities: the SADC Secretariat Planning Element consisting of the civilian, police, military and prisons/corrections planners; planners from SADC Member States; the host Government; Malawi planners; civil society organisations; and specially invited local and regional private sector companies. The meeting focused on developing and concluding preparation of all the necessary documentation, processes and requirements that are central to the conducting of a CPX or any similar exercise, as well as ensuring that there is full coordination, cooperation and consultation among all stakeholders to the exercise, in order to guarantee the successful conduct of the exercise.
Participation in activities such as Exercise UMODZI is in line with ACCORD’s strategic goal of supporting efforts at strengthening the AUC and regional capacity and capability to plan, manage and implement Peace Support Operations (PSOs) on the continent through the enhancement of the ASF capacities. This initiative also seeks to contribute to improved sustainable capacity for the conduct of peace operations on the continent through ensuring effective functioning of organizational systems in the AU/RECs/RMs.
The Training for Peace Programme at ACCORD is an initiative funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
ACCORD was represented by the Coordinator of ACCORD’s Peacekeeping Unit, Brig. Gen. (Rtd). James Machakaire, and the Units Programme Administrator, Ms Precious Mtshali.
