Col. Mensah addressing participants at the official opening of the exercise
A Special Operations Forces (SOF) from the US, allied nations, and international communities have joined the twenty-nine African nations and approximately 1,300 personnel to participate in the annual Flintlock exercise which began on March 1 and ends on March 15 2023 in Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire.
Flintlock, U.S. Africa Command’s (AFRICOM) largest special operations exercise has been held annually since its inception in 2005. The exercise is designed to strengthen key regional partner nations’ abilities to counter violent extremist organizations, collaborate across borders, and provide security for their people.
This year, participating African nations include Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Togo, and Tunisia. Other international participants include Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Ghana is hosting the 15-day exercise for the first time in four locations; the joint multinational staff headquarters at the British High Commission in Accra, the Maritime site in Nutekpo, Volta Region, the Expeditional site from Tamale, special operations task group, and the Army Special Operations Training (SOT) School at Daboya in the North Gonja District in the Savannah Region alongside Côte d’Ivoire with one location in Abidjan.
The multinational staff headquarters operations will test and strengthen participants’ ability to collectively address regional security challenges through a comprehensive scenario involving command and control of simulated participants at various outstations.
Speaking at the official opening of the exercise in Accra yesterday, Colonel Richard Mensah, Commander joint multinational headquarters, Flintlock 2023 indicated that before the commencement of the 2023 Flintlock exercise many events have taken place within the space of five days beginning with the academics week which includes mission planning, tactical operations among other special operations works in the four locations.
“On the 14th each of the participating countries both Africa and the international partners have been invited to witness their troops taking part in conducting some operations to exhibit what they have learned within the training period before we climax the exercise the next day” he noted.
British High Commissioner for Ghana, Harriet Thompson, indicated that the Flintlock exercise allows nations to work together to share expertise, knowledge, and best practice to strengthen peace and security across the Sahel and Coastal West Africa.
The commissioner also added that the operation will also see temporary medical and dental clinics working with communities to support healthcare provision, as well as women, peace, and security events and initiatives taking place, which is particularly important as we mark and celebrate International Women’s Day.
BY Prince Fiifi Yorke