As an international center, attached to the Ministry of Defense and Veterans Affairs, the Alioune Blondin Beye School for Peacekeeping (EMP-ABB) had to be exemplary in the application of government directives to fight against COVID-19.
This is how we took the necessary measures by setting up an anti-coronavirus device of the EMP-ABB called DAC2020. In addition to health measures, temperature control and application of barrier gestures, the school decided to shorten the two training sessions that were underway (DDR and CIMIC), in order to allow international trainees to return quickly their country. Thanks to the support of Germany, those from Niger (04) who could not benefit from regular flights on time, were transported by an aircraft of the Air Force of Mali. Due to restrictions on air traffic, only one international trainee from Cameroon remains. It is of course paid for by the EMP-ABB, the school making an obligation to provide cover for the trainees as long as they are staying on Malian soil.

The school intends to strategically use the situation created by the exceptional circumstances imposed on all, to take advantage of it to invest its efforts in different areas of design and development of the working environment. This and the teams are mobilized around the review of the School Strategy Implementation Plan adopted in 2018. We also see this period as an opportunity to reflect on the internal organization of the school, update of the documentation available here at CARESS and at the level of instruction, development of different products, management programs and monitoring of our activities. One of our objectives is to ensure that the right tools are developed and implemented to ensure efficient and transparent management of the School, as required by the Board of Directors. In other words, the observation of restrictions in the context of the fight against the expansion of the Covid-19 does not constitute a reason for stopping activities, rather a period of refocusing around our development priorities.

In addition, due to the current situation, new demands for specific training have emerged. We are currently studying its feasibility. Even if for the moment, the school does not welcome any more international trainees, we are preparing to accompany the training plans for the Malian officers, within our walls or on site in the training centers, of course always respecting anti-coronavirus measures. The Chief of Defense Staff expects the EMPABB to serve as a platform and support framework for a number of initiatives carried out by the Directorate of Military Schools. The fact that the School has specific courses on understanding the phenomena of terrorism; like the one on human factors in the fight against terrorism (HFCT), courses on Civil and Military Action and various modules on the animation of work within the General Staff, constitute for example areas of intervention to explore . In this context, the School is able to update these courses and provide them to staff officers as a contribution to the response to the current situation with the effect of impacting collaboration and coordination with international partners such as the G5 Sahel, ECOWAS and the United Nations.

Finally, the EMP-ABB through its anti-coronavirus device DAC2020 applies all measures to fight the global pandemic, and is more than ever active in producing and offering training formats adapted to the situation. In accordance with its mandate, as soon as conditions allow, the school will expand its activities to its interns and international instructors.

All together, let's stop the coronavirus!
THANK YOU AND REMAIN ALL AND VIGILANT AND RESPONSIBLE!