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- May 10, 2012
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THE Tanzania People's Defence Forces (TPDF) flagged off its 35 soldiers who are due to participate in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) special rescue exercise in Angola.
The exercise, dubbed Blue Zambezi, is expected to start on Tuesday through the end of the month and will bring together soldiers from various SADC countries as part of the region's proactive strategies against calamities.
General Officer Commanding at TPDF headquarters, Maj Gen Hassan Chema, who graced the ceremony at the Air Wing in Dar es Salaam, said the exercise was crucial in capacity building.
"We are proud that SADC is getting stronger and better with joint exercises like this which are crucial in capacity building and a good forum to share experiences," he said. Gen Chema said that in the exercise Tanzanian soldiers will have an opportunity to learn new techniques on how to use modern facilities in rescue missions.
"The ultimate goal is to create capacity for all SADC member countries so that if any country in the region is hit by disaster other countries will be in a position to step in and help," he said. He called on soldiers to demonstrate a high level of discipline while in Angola and ensure that they pay attention to get the best out of the exercise.
A representative of the Air Force commander, Brigadier General Omari Matteka, who is also the Director of Maintenance and Engineering, said the contingent is made up of 21 officers and 14 soldiers.
"The group will be led by Brigadier General Ezra Ndimugwango and it is made up of various military experts including doctors," he said.
He added that in the exercise soldiers will be trained on the best ways of reaching victims of various calamities in rescue missions and in delivering humanitarian aid.
Gen Matteka said it was the fourth time Tanzania was engaging in such exercises, naming the previous ones as Blue Crane held in South Africa in 1999, Blue Ruvuma held in Tanzania in 2006 and Blue Cluster held in South Africa in 2011.
He added that Air Force commanders from the SADC region were expected to attend the closing of the exercise in Angola on August 31 while the participants were expected back on September 3.
The exercise, dubbed Blue Zambezi, is expected to start on Tuesday through the end of the month and will bring together soldiers from various SADC countries as part of the region's proactive strategies against calamities.
General Officer Commanding at TPDF headquarters, Maj Gen Hassan Chema, who graced the ceremony at the Air Wing in Dar es Salaam, said the exercise was crucial in capacity building.
"We are proud that SADC is getting stronger and better with joint exercises like this which are crucial in capacity building and a good forum to share experiences," he said. Gen Chema said that in the exercise Tanzanian soldiers will have an opportunity to learn new techniques on how to use modern facilities in rescue missions.
"The ultimate goal is to create capacity for all SADC member countries so that if any country in the region is hit by disaster other countries will be in a position to step in and help," he said. He called on soldiers to demonstrate a high level of discipline while in Angola and ensure that they pay attention to get the best out of the exercise.
A representative of the Air Force commander, Brigadier General Omari Matteka, who is also the Director of Maintenance and Engineering, said the contingent is made up of 21 officers and 14 soldiers.
"The group will be led by Brigadier General Ezra Ndimugwango and it is made up of various military experts including doctors," he said.
He added that in the exercise soldiers will be trained on the best ways of reaching victims of various calamities in rescue missions and in delivering humanitarian aid.
Gen Matteka said it was the fourth time Tanzania was engaging in such exercises, naming the previous ones as Blue Crane held in South Africa in 1999, Blue Ruvuma held in Tanzania in 2006 and Blue Cluster held in South Africa in 2011.
He added that Air Force commanders from the SADC region were expected to attend the closing of the exercise in Angola on August 31 while the participants were expected back on September 3.
