7 October 2008
Moamba — Mozambique now possesses a training centre for soldiers, police officers and civilians chosen to participate in international peace-keeping missions.
The new barracks for the peace keeping battalion was inaugurated in Moamba district, some 60 kilometres northwest of Maputo in a ceremony intended by British High Commissioner Andrew Soper, and by Maj-Gen Herbert Altshuler, director for strategy, programmes and planning of the United States military command for Africa (AFRICOM).
The Moamba Peacekeeping Centre is not yet complete. So far it consists of a block of lecture theatres, a planning room, a kitchen and a canteen. The dormitory is still under construction.
The British government provided about 380,000 US dollars for the construction work, while the United States donated 300,000 dollars to acquire the kitchen and canteen equipment.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, the commander of the Mozambican navy, Rear Admiral Patricio Yothamo, said the centre will increase the capacity of the Mozambican armed forces (FADM) to contribute to peace keeping operations abroad.
The FADM has already taken part in some such operations, notably in Burundi, despite its serious shortages of equipment. These interventions "show our commitment to peace keeping in the region, on the continent and in the world", said Yothamo.
Soper expressed his pleasure at the decision of the Mozambican authorities to make peace keeping a priority for the armed forces. "We are very proud of supporting Mozambique in complying with these undertakings", he said. "Mozambique plays a major role in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and in the African Union, which are both important organisations in a variety of activities dealing with conflicts".
He recalled previous British support for the FADM - notably in helping pay for the Mozambican contingent in Burundi, and in rehabilitating the Samora Machel Military Academy in the northern city of Nampula.
For his part, Altshuler, who has been on a working visit to Mozambique since Monday, said the US is committed to helping train peace keeping forces.
"The commitment of Mozambique to participating in United Nations peace keeping missions is a clear sign of your determination to make a difference wherever needed, and in giving the people of other countries the opportunity to establish their own peaceful road, just as Mozambique has done since the signing of the peace agreement in Rome (in 1992)", he said.
The AFRICOM officer said that the US "is ready to assist" Mozambique to develop its capacity to participate in future peace keeping missions.
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