Gambiaj.com – (BANJUL, The Gambia) – Amid growing political instability and security challenges in the ECOWAS region, the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government has mandated the deployment of ECOWAS Peace Support Operations (PSOs). As part of this initiative, ECOWAS is organizing in-mission training for staff officers deployed to the ECOWAS Mission in The Gambia (ECOMIG) from July 8 to 12, 2024.

The training aims to enhance the capacities of newly rotated personnel by providing a comprehensive understanding of their operational framework. This will ensure that the staff officers, contingent commanders from Ghana, Nigeria, and Senegal, and personnel from Gambian Defence and Security Agencies can effectively implement the appropriate operational procedures relevant to their roles.

In his opening remarks, the Commandant of the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) commended ECOWAS for its efforts in maintaining peace and security in West Africa. He acknowledged the support from the GIZ-EPSAO project, co-funded by the European Union and the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), which contributed to developing the Staff Officers Handbook.

He also noted the success of the pilot training conducted in 2023 in The Gambia and Guinea-Bissau, leading to this second iteration for the newly rotated ECOMIG personnel.

The Deputy Head of the EU Delegation in The Gambia, Mr. Raphael Brigandi, reaffirmed the EU’s commitment to partnering with ECOWAS to enhance the readiness of its civilian, police, and military personnel for deployment.

He highlighted that over 300 personnel have been trained through the EPSAO Project, expressing gratitude to ECOWAS, KAIPTC, and GIZ EPSAO for their collaboration and dedication in developing the training course and handbook.

Representing the ECOWAS Resident Representative in The Gambia, Her Excellency Mrs. Miatta Lily French, Mr. Claude Kondor emphasized ECOWAS’s ongoing pursuit of sustainable peace and security within its Member States. He stated, “Without peace and security, development and economic integration of the entire region will be very difficult to achieve.”

Mr. Kondor outlined the various protocols adopted by ECOWAS to tackle security challenges, including the 1999 Mechanism for Conflict Prevention, Management, Resolution, Peacekeeping and Security, the 2001 Supplementary Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance, and the 2008 ECOWAS Conflict Prevention Framework.

He noted that the Accountability and Compliance Framework, included in the training curriculum, is designed to guide ECOWAS personnel on their conduct during missions.

The multidimensional and integrated PSO structure of ECOWAS involves establishing Mission Headquarters and, in some cases, Sector Headquarters. These structures are staffed by personnel from military, police, civilian, and mission support components.

The current curriculum is being used in the second edition of the In-Mission Training of Staff Officers deployed to ECOMIG in The Gambia, reinforcing ECOWAS’s commitment to regional stability and security.