Tanzanian army hosts joint forces training for EAC states

DAR ES SALAAM, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- The Tanzania People's Defence Forces (TPDF) is hosting the 2017 joint command forces training for five member states of the East African Community (EAC), a senior army official said on Tuesday.

Brigadier General Alfred Kapinga, TPDF's Head of Operations and Training, said the 17-day training which started on Monday has brought together 300 participants from Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi, adding that the training was conducted at the TPDF Training Centre in Dar es Salaam.

The training will be officially launched by the Minister for Defence and National Service, Hussein Mwinyi, on Friday, Kapinga told a news conference.

He said Tanzania's 107 participants in the training were from TPDF, the police force, prisons, immigration department, Tanzania Intelligence and Security Service, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Prime Minister's Office, etc.

"The training is based on operations in peace support, counterterrorism, counter piracy and disaster management," said Kapinga.

He added that the training was aimed at enhancing cooperation among EAC member states on military training, application of EAC's standing operation procedures and providing the trainees with knowledge with international humanitarian law.

Kapinga said the most recent challenge was piracy in the Indian Ocean, adding that it was necessary to train the participants for the sake of assuring security was guaranteed in member states.

He said the training will involve higher ranking commanders who have the responsibility to plan and arrange the operation techniques in various operations to be conducted.

The joint military training has been active since the re-establishment of the EAC in 2001. Enditem