PRESS RELEASE : UK High Commissioner opens 6th Africa security conference [August 2024]
The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 28 August 2024.
The British High Commissioner to Kenya, Mr Neil Wigan, on Tuesday 27 officially opened the 6th Annual Counter-Improvised Explosive Devices (C-IED) conference at KCB Leadership Centre in Nairobi. Also present at the event was Kenya Army Lieutenant, General David Kimaiyo, Director International Peace and Security Training Centre, Brigadier Joyce Sitienei and British Peace Support Training – Africa (BPST-A), Commander Col. Andy Pitt.
The three-day conference brings together security experts in the region with the aim of discussing current Counter-IED trends and threats, and highlight lessons learnt from Peace Support Operations (PSO) across the continent. Furthermore, the conference seeks to provide a platform from which the African Union (AU) can deliver direction and updates on the African Counter – Explosive Ordinance strategy.
Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) continue to proliferate both in number and complexity. IEDs have been used to target peacekeeping personnel, national security forces, aid workers and civilians.
Speaking during the opening of the conference, the British High Commissioner, Neil Wigan said:
Improvised Explosive Devices continue to be a critical threat across the continent, including on the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) and the Kenyan borderlands. The severity of their impact and the speed of development by our adversaries demands that we leverage our respective expertise and work together. The UK remains committed to tackle shared threats, and support efforts to address the underlying drivers of fragility and conflict.
We congratulate Kenya for hosting this conference and we will continue working closely with the AU and the UN to provide the much-needed training and operational direction to deter the influence of IEDs, al-Shabab and other violent extreme organisations alike.
The UK’s support through the British Peace Support Team (Africa) BPST(A) is strengthening the C-IED capability of ATMIS and partner nations personnel. Since 2016, BPST(A) and Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) have trained more than 1,700 military and police from 22 countries in detecting and disarming IEDs.
