Second Phase of African Crises Response Initiative Opens

Tema (Greater Accra) 23 March '99

The second phase of the African Crisis Response Initiative (ACRI) designed to deal with command and staff functions at the battalion level in peace support operations opened at the Eastern Naval Command, Tema, on Monday. The training programme, dubbed "ACRIFT" which is expected to end on April 16, will further strengthen the capacity building of the Ghana Armed Forces to respond positively to any crisis situation in Africa. The task force for the training programme is made up of 80 all ranks, including an evaluation team from the Ghana Armed Forces under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Thomas H. Tawiah, commanding officer of the First Battalion of Infantry (1BN), and 25 United States Mobile Training Team (MTTI) led by Captain Roy Douglas. Last year, a Ghana Armed Forces battalion task force of 800 men benefited from a similar training offered by American and Belgian troops under the US ACRI initiative. This was also aimed at capacity building of the Armed Forces to participate in humanitarian and peacekeeping operations in any part of the African continent at short notice, Colonel David C.K. Kattah of the Ghana Armed Forces said. It is through ACRI One, dubbed "Ex-Fafa Afrika", that this follow-up training christened "Ex-Fafa Afrika 99", is being organised to train and exercise command and staff of a national task force battalion to exercise various functions. These include how to protect non-governmental distribution of relief supplies by safeguarding convoys to refugee camps and protecting non-governmental medical treatment of civilians within the battalion sector. Other tasks include safeguarding personal and public property through the use of checkpoints and patrolling as well establishing and participating in joint military commissions to resolve issues encountered during the implementation of a cease fire.