Civilian Protection In Conflict Areas Training Course Opens In Accra


About thirty (30) participants, made up the Military and some Civilians drawn from Ghana, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Niger, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Togo and the Netherlands have converged at Accra; Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping and Training Centre (KAIPTC) for five-day training on protection Civilian during conflicts underway in Ghana.

‘Trainers of the trainer course’ jointly organized by The United States Africa Command (USAFRICOM) and The Netherland, focused on three thematic areas: Strengthening Conflict Prevention, Modernising Peace Operations and Promoting Justice and Accountability is to modernize peace operations in The Region.

Speaking on the first point “Strengthening Conflict Prevention” during the opening ceremony/news conference, The Netherlands Ambassador to Ghana, Ron Strikker said “we want a Security Council that acts in a timely manner to identify and tackle the causes of conflict and war, such as water scarcity, food shortages and climate change. The Netherlands’ knowledge and know-how equip us to make a significant contribution to this task”.

According to him, UN peace missions must protect civilians, adding that…”an effective Security Council must ensure that conflicts can be tackled with modern, well-equipped peace missions” hence the point two ” Modernizing Peace Operations” for the participants.

Under the Promoting Justice and Accountability,
Mr. Strikker acknowledged the fact that, “peace cannot last without justice and reconciliation”, emphasizing the need for “fundamental freedoms and human rights are essential for peace.”

He called on The Security Council to make sure perpetrators of wars and conflicts account for their deeds.

The Netherlands, as home to the international city of peace and justice The Hague, will do its utmost to make this happen, he assured.

The Commandant at KAIPTC, Air Vice Marshal Griffiths Santrofi Evans on his part, hoped that the participants would learn new ways of combating crimes while protecting the children, the aged and people living with disability, using contemporary methods.

Other facilitators for the training are: Course Coordinator, U.S. Africa Command (USAFRICOM),Alan Royston, civil expert Protection of Civilians, NGO PAX, The Netherlands (tbc), Hans Rouw and Course Director, Integrated Training service of the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations, Rafael Barbieri.

The curriculum is developed by the UN Department for Peacekeeping Operations. It follows the Train the Trainer principle.

Kingdom of the Netherlands again urged The Security Council to deal effectively with conflicts and wars, not only by deploying well-equipped peace missions, but also by helping to prevent conflict in the first place by focusing on its causes. The training is expected to end on 11th May, 2018.

Story by Edzorna Francis Mensah

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