Southern Accord 24 Helps Botswana Defence Force Sharpen its Peacekeeping Skills

ADF STAFF

The Botswana Defence Force and United States military came together in August for Southern Accord 24, a 10-day biennial joint exercise designed to improve the ability of the two forces to work together in peacekeeping, humanitarian missions and disaster relief.

The exercise ran Aug. 5-15 in Gaborone, Thebephatshwa Air Base, and the Shoshong area of rural northeastern Botswana. It brought together Army and Air Force personnel from both countries to hone their skills, including an airborne medical evacuation. The North Carolina National Guard took part in the exercise as part of its long-running relationship with the Botswana Defence Force (BDF).

Maj. Gen. Eno Seelo, deputy commander of the BDF, said joint exercises such as Southern Accord 24 are vital to guaranteeing security in an ever more complicated world.

“It is in no doubt that the complex security environment that our militaries operate in today presents a challenging trend of increasingly complex conflicts,” Seelo told Southern Accord’s participants.

Many nations face greater threats from domestic insurgencies or terror groups than from external sources, Seelo said.

Over the past 30 years, the BDF has joined in United Nations peacekeeping operations on the continent, including in Rwanda and Somalia in the 1990s and Darfur in the early 2000s. More recently, the BDF was part of the Southern African Development Community’s (SADC) peacekeeping mission in Mozambique.

In July, Botswana took possession of a C-130 Hercules cargo aircraft provided by the U.S. in a transfer ceremony during the African Chiefs of Defense Conference in Gaborone. The new plane replaced an older C-130 that had been grounded after providing airlift for African Union, United Nations and SADC missions for 25 years.

Botswana’s President Mokgweetsi Masisi has promised to continue to support Mozambique in its fight against violent extremism in the Cabo Delgado province. The SADC withdrew from Mozambique in July and shifted its attention to helping the Democratic Republic of the Congo subdue M23 rebels in its eastern provinces.

The agenda for Southern Accord 24 focused on strengthening Botswana’s capacity in future peacekeeping and humanitarian missions on the continent.

The exercise also provided a platform for promoting the BDF’s plan to increase the role of women in its military. Peacekeeping experts say the presence of women in missions improves peacekeepers’ ability to interact with communities, particularly with the women and children who are most often the victims of violence in conflict zones.

In conjunction with Southern Accord 24, the BDF conducted medical clinics in rural communities including Mosolotshane, which is 50 kilometers from the nearest hospital. The clinic provided Mosolotshane resident Lekgobo Issac with dental and vision treatment along with scheduling him for a visit to a full clinic in Shoshong 20 kilometers away.

Lt. Col. A.T. Nyere, the director of public health for BDF’s Military Health Services, said the armed forces tailors its offerings to the needs of the local health district. The clinic brought in up to 300 people a day. In response, the BDF brought in other military medical staff, including doctors and paramedics.

Seelo said Southern Accord 24 reinforced the relationship between the militaries of Botswana and the U.S.

“It is my fervent belief that this exercise will serve as a platform where, as partners, we will have the opportunity to engage on issues of common interest in the theater of operations and throughout the broader national security environment,” Seelo said. “We also have a view to explore other potential areas of cooperation that will further enhance our mutual relationship.”