Maritime task force commanders receive certificates at end of training |24 October 2013

Commanders from the East Africa Standby Force Maritime Cell (EASFCOM) received their certificate this week after following a 10-day military training in the Seychelles’ waters.
The ceremony took place in Port Victoria, on board the EASFCOM flagship Fridtjof Nansen.

Present were the Minister for Home Affairs and Transport Joel Morgan, the Minister for Foreign Affairs Jean-Paul Adam, members of the diplomatic corps, Chief of Defence Forces Brigadier Leopold Payet and the commander of the task force Commodore Henning Amundsen.

The East Africa Standby Force mission is to prepare for peace keeping interventions as well as regional capacity building and counter piracy under the mandate of the African Union.

The force comprises officers from member countries, namely Burundi, Djibouti, Kenya, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sudan and Uganda.

EASFCOM is supported by the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato) and the Nordic Advisory Coordination Staff (Nacs) which comprises Norway, Finland, Denmark and Sweden and which provides technical and financial assistance to the force.

Head of Political Affairs of EASFCOM, Seychellois Benediste Hoareau, said that the training was very important for security in the region and has thanked the member states for their commitment.

“The training marks another important milestone in the achievement of the East Africa Standby Force maritime cell. We acknowledge the commitment of the respective EASF member states for seconding their officers to form this core team of officers whose commitment has brought us all together,” he said.

The visit of the flagship represented the ship’s last call to Port Victoria under the current mandate. During the training, she was also used for technical exercises.