On Monday, Egypt concluded a five-day training course for military forces in which top rank cadres from the regions of the African Union participated. The cadres will be assigned to train forces participating in the African Peace Support Operations.
The training was the actualization of a goal made 17 years ago in 2005, when the African Union’s Peace and Security Council (PSC) held its first summit where it was agreed to start AU-led peace support operations that would facilitate negotiations to promote stability and security across the continent.
The course was held by the African Union Commission (AUC) in Cairo and included extensive lectures and discussions on the training of the military component of the first-of-its-kind military force on the African continent. They were trained in areas including international humanitarian law, Human Rights, and the protection of civilians during armed conflicts.
In June, the African Union established the African Union Peace Fund, which once fully operational, will contribute 25% of the Peace Support Operations budget. It will fund Mediation and Preventive Diplomacy; Institutional Capacity; and Peace Support Operations. The Union is set to allocate a budget of targeted US$400 million by 2023 through United Nations assessed contributions.
