Kofi Ampeah Woode
The Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) has trained a total of Eighty-Four (84) Commanders of the Sierra Leonean Police Service on Election Violence and Security Course (EVSC), to enhance their capacity in prevention and management of potential/perceived electoral violence situations before, during and after elections.
The EVSC, which was in 2 batches with the first batch commencing on Monday 10, ending on Friday 14 April, 2023, at the Sierra Leone Peacekeeping and Law Enforcement Academy (SILEA), Hastings Campus, Freetown, provided the needed information for the fundamental understanding of the roles of the police and other stakeholders, in the management of the electoral process.At the opening ceremony of the German government funded training, the Commandant, KAIPTC – Major General (Maj Gen) Richard Addo Gyane, situated the course within the context of “fair play and transparency as Sierra Leone strives to organize seamless elections for self-governance”.
The Commandant, who supervised the opening and closing ceremonies of the first batch of the course, emphasized the importance and timeliness of the EVSC training as Sierra Leone prepares to go to the polls in June 2023, adding that the position of KAIPTC is to ensure that peace and security prevail in the subregion and Africa at large.
General Gyane furthered that for this course, KAIPTC lobbies acclaimed bodies such as the United Nations (UN), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and other international organisations for funding and sponsorship, so as to enable the Centre embark on various professional training for security officers in the subregion.
The second batch of the EVSC, commenced at the same venue for same number of commanders of the Police Service of the West African country, on Monday 17, and will end on Friday 21 April, 2023.
Topics selected in collaboration with the Training Directorate of the Sierra Leonean Police and taught included: 1) Elections Cycle and Elections Security Trend in Africa, 2) Elections Security Trend in Sierra Leone in Security Arrangements, 3) Coordination and Cooperation, 4) Gender Human Rights and Elections Security, 5) Threat Assessment, Intelligence Management and Early Warning, 6) Elections Management and Legal Framework in Sierra Leone, and 7) Conflict Management and Security.
Facilitators for the 5-day training included persons such as; the Director of Operations of the Electoral Commission of Sierra Leone – Mohamed Turay; Assistant Inspectors General for Training, Police Operations, the Police Regional Commander of Freetown and the Police Legal, amongst others who are all playing critical roles in the country’s June ’23 elections.
