Joint regional military's training exercise closes in Sudan

KAMPALA, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- The two-week joint East Africa Standby Force (EASF) peacekeeping and security training exercise closed on Sunday in Sudan, Ugandan military spokesperson said here on Monday.

Lt. Col. Deo Akiiki, Ugandan deputy military spokesperson in a statement issued here said that Sudan's minister of defense Lt. Gen Awad Mohamed Amed Ibin Oaf presided over the closing ceremony of the field training exercise, dubbed "Mashariki Salaam II," at Gebeit Training Area in Port Sudan.

The Sudanese minister commended the support and cooperation from 10 EASF partner states in the training, which he described as a clear manifestation of their commitment toward peace and security in the region and the global community.

Uganda's state minister for defense, Charles Engola and Uganda's deputy Chief of Defense Forces Lt. Gen. Wilson Mbadi attended the closing ceremony.

The Ugandan military dispatched a contingent of 106 soldiers led by Brig. Michael Nyarwa, the commander of Marine Brigade to participate in the two weeks training.

The exercise that kicked off on Nov. 25 to Dec. 3 attracted over 1,000 troops from the 10 EASF countries to help boost the capabilities of the forces in peacekeeping, conflict and terrorism management, and combating human trafficking in the region.

The troops were drawn from Sudan, Uganda, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Kenya, Djibouti, Burundi, Comoros, Somalia and Seychelles.

The exercise is a key benchmark to test the regional organization's ability to respond to crisis situations in the region and beyond when tasked or mandated to do so by the African Union.

The exercise was also attended by military representatives from China, the European Union and the United States.

EASF is a regional force, whose mandate is to enhance peace and security in the eastern Africa region. It is one of the five regional multidimensional forces of the African Standby Force.

EASF was established in 2004 for rapid deployment and intervention, peace support and stability operations and peace enforcement.

It has since conducted a number of field training and command post exercises in Kenya, Djibouti, Sudan, Uganda, and Ethiopia, respectively. Enditem