Globo-Cop Sam in East Africa Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit source - Rick Rozoff http://www.africanews.org/PANA/news/20000414/feat7.html Pan-African News Agency US Military Leads Peace-Keeping Training For Regional Troops April 14, 2000 NAIROBI, Kenya (PANA) - Some 4,000 soldiers from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and the US will from 21 April begin joint military exercises on the Kenyan coast as part of their peacekeeping training. The exercises, to be directed by the US Army, is designed to develop and test the ability of the US marines to deploy for operations in sub-Saharan Africa. Each country will fund its contingent. The coalition force will involve 2,000 Kenyan soldiers from its infantry, airforce, navy and the police force, 300 troops from Tanzania and 200 from Uganda, Kenya's minister in the president's office, Julius Sunkuli, told reporters Friday. Code-named Natural Fire 2000, the exercises will end 27 May and will have observer contingents from South Africa, Belgium, the UK, France and the Organisation of African Unity and East African Community. There will also be participants from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, World Food Programme, the International Committee of the Red Cross and other volunteer organisations. Sunkuli said the purpose of the exercises is to train the regional forces in the planning and execution of peace support operations in a joint and combined setting. The forces would be taught skills for co-ordinating a multi-faceted peacekeeping operation, including conflict operations and resolution, disaster relief and humanitarian aid programmes. They will engage in war games on land, air and in the sea, and will also conduct humanitarian projects such as road construction, veterinary services and medical assistance in hospitals within the areas of operation. ================================================================= NY Transfer News Collective * A Service of Blythe Systems Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us 339 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012 http://www.blythe.org e-mail: nyt@blythe.org ================================================================= nytaf-04.17.00-05:26:42-104