Joint security exercise climaxed in Tamale
A joint multinational military exercise aimed at enhancing the capacity of regional forces to collectively counter violent extremism groups and protect their citizens has been climaxed in Tamale, the Northern Regional capital.
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Code-named "Exercise Flintlock 24”, the personnel were drawn from six countries, including Ghana, Togo, Burkina Faso, Norway, Denmark, the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States of America (USA).
It involved two weeks’ intensive exercise and a series of training on how to respond swiftly to violent extremists and terrorists threats. Last Friday, a simulation exercise was conducted to test the preparedness of the security to deal with possible terrorist attacks.
The exercise involved a sample of supposed terrorists who launched an attack on a state installation. The security, however, activated their operational procedures and responded swiftly to the threats by overpowering the attackers.
The exercise, which was jointly hosted by Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire, involved 1, 300 personnel in 36 countries. Introduced in 2005, the exercise is conducted under the US Special Operations Command Africa (SOCAF) and is designed to strengthen collective security, reinforce military bonds and trust of the civilian populace, and augment the tactics, procedures and skillsets of regional partners.
Bolstering security
Briefing the media at the closing ceremony, the US Ambassador to Ghana, Virginia Palmer, said the multinational exercise sought to bolster security across the participating countries to jointly tackle security challenges.
Given the recent security threats by extremist groups in the Sahel, she intimated that there was the need to adequately prepare the security for any eventuality. She indicated that the exercise formed part of the US government's long-term commitment to supporting Africa to strengthen its security operations to be able to effectively deal with emerging security threats while protecting the citizens.
"Activities like these conducted under African Lion and Flintlock reflect our broader work in Ghana. “We know that the threat of violent extremism cannot be addressed through security forces alone," she stated.
Ambassador Palmer indicated that since 2022, the US government has voted over $85 million to enhance peace and stability in Coastal West Africa, with an additional $45 million expected this year.
She added that "these past two weeks, the Ghana Armed Forces have demonstrated that in addition to being a net exporter of security and stability through peacekeeping, it is a capable leader in highly specialised operations as well as command and control. This is one of many reasons the United States is committed to supporting the Ghana Armed Forces through continued training and technical support".
Security threats
For his part, the Chief of the Army Staff, Major General Bismarck Kwasi Onwona, described the exercise as a success and said it would go a long way to help the participating nations to effectively coordinate and jointly tackle security challenges.
For Ghana to host the exercise the second time, he said it was a testament to the long-term relations and partnership between Ghana and the US. The Deputy Commander of the United States Africa Command (USAFRICOM), Lieutenant General W. Brennan Jr, lauded the personnel for their resilience and commitment throughout the exercise.
He said no single country could solve Africa’s complex security threats alone, hence the need for the countries to continue to collaborate with one another.