Everybody must be wary of threats posed by unrest to global peace – President Jammeh

HE President Jammeh

 As African Endeavour holds Final Planning Conference in Banjul

A three-day Conference by the African Endeavour on its Final Planning ends in Banjul, The Gambia on April 7, 2011.

The event brought together 35 African Countries including ECOWAS and AU, the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) and EASF. The third of its kind, the conference is aimed at developing communication tactics, techniques, and procedures that can be used in support of humanitarian assistance, disaster relief and peacekeeping operations.

Funded by the United State Government in partnership with the African Union, the forum also provides nations the opportunity to foster strategic partnerships that promote peace and security throughout the African continent.

Speaking at the opening ceremony on April 4, the President of the Republic of The Gambia Alhaji Yahya Jammeh recognizes the role the United State Government is playing in support of the development of modern armed forces through training programmes, particularly in the critical area of defense and security operations.

According to him, establishing a robust command, control and communication system to enhance Africa’s effective participation and response in areas such as peace support operations, disaster management and counter terrorism, cannot be over-emphasized.

“The initiative undoubtedly endears itself to a continent that is equally at risk from the threats of instability arising from wars and conflicts, drugs, terrorism, as well as the debilitating effects of climate change,” he lamented. “These are real threats that have no boundaries and will not spare any nations. This is the reason why we need to confront them as a unified and determined front.”

He said the conference is very important in today’s world where unrest can erupt abruptly with catastrophic consequences and that everybody must be wary of the threat posed by this unrest to global peace. The Gambia subscribes without reservation to the African Standby Force which seeks to promote peace and stability for the good of all.

Speaking earlier the Africa Command C4 System and  Director of Africa Endeavour Brigadier General Robert S. Ferrell said Africa Endeavour is the US Africa Command’s annual communication exercise that focuses on interoperability and information sharing among African partners.

“The framework for the exercise has advanced significantly from previous years with the introduction of a regional concept, a scenario and the establishment of a communication network with the AU and ECWAS,” Brig. Gen. Ferrell said.

“These advancements will allow all participating nations and their African standby force to test their developed communications procedures in response to a natural disaster, utilizing realistic communication architecture.”

The Chief of Defence Staff of The Gambia Lieutenant General Masanneh Kinteh said the overall Africa Endeavour Programme Series will enable participating nations to gauge their individual as well as collective needs and preparedness for military operations as far as the area of communication is concerned.

He said the knowledge and experiences gathered during the conference and exercises will undoubtedly guide participating nations in making the right plans in the field of communication. He noted that Gambia has been an active partner in the African Endeavour programmes from the very beginning. Source – The Voice Newspaper