Abuja, 24^th September 2018  . The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in its bid to test the capacity of its Standby Force (ESF) to conduct strategic and operational level planning for multidimensional Peace Support Operations (PSO) in the region has commenced the Main Planning Conference (MPC) for its Command Post Exercise (CPX) Code-name JIGUI IV scheduled to hold in 2019.

The 5-day MPC which began on 24^th September 2018 at the National Defence College (NDC) in Abuja, Nigeria will see representatives from Members States and ECOWAS Training Centres of Excellence (TCE) finalize the Exercise Plan for the CPX.

The participants are also expected to work in syndicate groups to further develop the exercise scenario, assess technical details such as Communication and Information Services (CIS), the public information and media strategy, real-life support and the Main Events List and Main Incidents List (MEL-MIL) of the Exercise.

Representing the ECOWAS Commission’s Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, General Francis Behanzin, the Director of Peace keeping and Regional Security, Dr, Cyriaque Agnekethom, assured the participants of the Commission’s commitment to ensure that the CPX is conducted successfully.

Dr. Agnekethom expressed his confidence in the capacity of the representatives from Security agencies from Member States to plan and execute the CPX- JIGUI IV.

On his part, the representative of the commandant of the NDC, Major General Peter Dauke stated that,’ ECOWAS’ move to sustain the Full Operational Capacity (FOC) of the ESF rapid deployment is invaluable in today’s unstable world which is ravaged by a plethora of armed conflicts’.

‘The CPX which is being organized in collaboration with the African Union(AU) and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) is key to the preservation of humanity through the maintenance of international peace and security’, he said.

Also speaking during the opening session of the meeting, the Peace and Security Advisor- GIZ, Mrs. Phidelia Amey expressed her optimism that the MPC will build on the results of the Initial Planning Conference (IPC)which held in November 2017.

The CPX-JIGUI IV which will make use of the CARANA scenario is the fourth Command Post Exercise to be conducted by ECOWAS. It also aims to exercise Command and Control of deployed forces on a simulated ECOWAS/AU mandated Peace Support operation.