The head of the Botswana defence force's air arm has called for the creation of a new department within the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to manage humanitarian and peacekeeping missions in the region.
Maj Gen Tebogo Masire, deputy commander, chief of staff and air arm commander of the Botswana defence force, says SADC operations during Mozambique's floods this year "exhibited shortcomings", including slow government-to-government communications and inadequate intelligence.
Masire says a "department of peacekeeping" should be set up within the SADC secretariat to co-ordinate joint operations which would have improved the performance in Mozambique.
The SADC also needs more combined training, says Masire, which would require adequate funding. Successful joint operations do not require the SADC members to operate common equipment if training provides a uniform standard of capability, he says. "We need to train together and learn. Most missions show mistakes that are repeated - there is a tendency not to learn."
Masire says the SADC also needs an inventory of what equipment its members can provide.
Successful peacekeeping and humanitarian operations in the region also need all participants to understand the dynamics of the population in any conflict, he adds. This requires locals to be included in the force.
Also, more than one country must participate to "give legitimacy" to an operation.
Source: Flight International
