According to a news statement from the United States Command for Africa, Morocco is one of 29 countries, including 15 African nations, that will be taking part in the Flintlock 2023 military exercise, an annual law enforcement exercise, this year from March 1 to 15 in Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire (Africom).
This year, the African countries participating in this military maneuver are Morocco, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Libya, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Togo, and Tunisia.
The other participating countries are Germany, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Spain, the United States, France, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, the Czech Republic, and the United Kingdom.
Initiated by the US military in 2005, Flintlock “provides an essential training opportunity for US military, African and international special forces,” said US Navy Rear Admiral Milton J. Sands. III, adding that “together, we are working to exchange best practices to address security challenges in the Sahel and West Africa,” he continued.
Operations for this year will be concentrated in the global headquarters located in Accra, Ghana.
In addition, some Western and African partners will train together remotely, it is reported.
Africom-sponsored exercises strengthen partnerships between Special Operations Command Africa (Socafrica), and U.S. and international military organizations, increasing “interoperability” during crises, to increase security and stability in the region, concludes the source.