By John Oba
Abuja
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the ECOWAS Commission has commenced the training of 40 members of the Economic Community of West African States- Standby Force (ECOWAS SF) on international humanitarian law (IHL) – also known as law of war and rules applicable in law enforcement in armed conflict situations.
The five-day training, according to a statement signed by ICRC information officer, Aleksandra Matijevic Mosimann, yesterday, is meant to further enhance the operational readiness of the ECOWAS Standby Force (ESF) which was attained in 2015.
The ECOWAS Standby Force (ESF) is a multidisciplinary force composed of the military, police and civilian personnel from the ECOWAS member states. The ESF provides personnel for regional and continental Peace Support Operations Missions.
The ICRC’s deputy head of delegation in Nigeria, Myriam El Kholi, said: “We live in times characterized by increasingly complex situations of armed conflict and violence, not just in Africa but the world at large. It is times like these that challenge us to emphatically demonstrate in our words and actions that wars do have limits.”
Hailing the commencement of training, the Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security of the ECOWAS Commission, Mrs. Halima Ahmed, said: “The integration of IHL and other rules applicable in law enforcement situations in the operational practices of the ECOWAS Standby Force should promote respect for these laws regardless of where members are deployed for peacekeeping operations in the region.
We aim to pass across the message that the protection of civilians is always at the core of any peacekeeping mission.”
The ICRC cooperates closely with the ECOWAS Commission in promoting integration of IHL into regional states’ national legislation, as well as the inclusion of IHL and other rules applicable in law enforcement operations into relevant doctrine and training of military and other security forces.
