The proposed Southern African Development Community’s standby battalion will start training in Namibia on Sept. 20.
SADC member states agreed to establish the battalion during the region’s defense sub-committee held in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania from June 14 until 16, 2017.
Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, South Africa, United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe attended the meeting.
One of the items on the agenda was the issue of Peace Support Operations.
In a statement Tuesday, the acting head of the Namibia Defense Forces, Major Petrus Shilumbu, said the 12 Motorized Infantry Brigade had mobilized troops and formed a full strength standby SADC Battalion.
The training, Shilumbu said, will be conducted at the Gobabis Army Base, a small town about 200 kilometers east of the capital Windhoek.
“The battalion will be conducting a pre-deployment training from the Sept. 20 to prepare for deployment to the mission area for Peace Support Orgaization,” Shilumbu said.
It was not immediately though clear how many SADC countries have sent their forces to participate in the training. Enditem
Source: Xinhua/NewsGhana.com.gh
