The Commander of the Lesotho Defence Force (LDF) Lieutenant General Makhula Mosakeng says cooperation between the military and civilian personnel is essential in the efforts to make the world a better home for the entire human kind.

The Commander said these when officially opening a two-week United Nations civilian specialist course hosted by the African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (ACCORD) and the Lesotho Defense Force held at Lesotho Sun on Thursday 05 December,2002. The Commander further indicated that the paradox of peace keeping is in the cliché that peace keeping is not for the military but only the military can do it, adding that this notorious observation underscores the need for
cooperation between the various stakeholders.

Mr. Mosakeng pointed out that the Basotho nation has been founded on principles of
peaceful co-existence, recognition of Humanitarian principles and respect of Human Rights, urging participants to therefore, take the course as a challenge to reflect on their commitment to the noble ideals. He noted that the Southern African region has made remarkable progress in building the regional block for peace and security, saying that measures taken include reorienting regional integration with a built-in mechanism for
conflict resolution.

He further mentioned that a regional peace keeping training center has also been established with assistance from donor countries, with joint military exercise becoming a common phenomenon. He concluded by commenting ACCORD for putting together the mission link of an integrated training that realizes the fundamental role of civilian
components in peace support operation that have been pending in regional efforts.

Speaking at the occasion, Mrs. Nicky Hitchcock who is a Programme Officer in the peace keeping initiative of ACCORD explained that her organization is on a mission to maintain peace and stability in the Southern African region. She said under the United Nations mechanism of conflict prevention, management and resolution expounded in Chapter six and seven of the United Nations Charter, ACCORD has engaged in training of personnel on peace keeping in Southern Africa.

Meanwhile, topics to be discussed during the seminar include introduction to peacekeeping and conflict management, civilian roles in United Nations peace operations, concepts of human rights in conflict situation, mental preparation for conflict environment as well as health precautions and stress management. The course has brought together Military and government officials from the eight SADC countries of Namibia, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Kenya, Lesotho, Swaziland, Mozambique and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

05 December,2002