Africa

Somalia's Danab force joins multinational military exercise in Kenya

Members of the Danab Brigade graduating class wear blindfolds while field-stripping their weapons as part of a demonstration during the graduation ceremony at Baledogle Airfield in Somalia on August 3, 2023. (Photo: Staff Sgt Enrique Barcelo/ US Air Force)

By Lucy Mumbi | Monday, February 26, 2024

The military exercise, dubbed Justified Accord 2024, aims to enhance partner readiness for peacekeeping missions, crisis response, and humanitarian assistance.

The Somali Danab, a highly trained Somali National Army commando force, is in Kenya to participate in a multinational military exercise scheduled for February 26 to March 7.

The Danab force, named after lightning, is part of a 2000-member brigade known for precision.

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Troops in the special unit flew from Mogadishu’s Aden Abdulle International Airport on Saturday for the exercise dubbed Justified Accord 2024, which aims to enhance partner readiness for peacekeeping missions, crisis response, and humanitarian assistance.

Overall, the Justified Accord 2024 aims to strengthen regional security and crisis response capabilities through cooperation among participating nations.

The exercise is the largest in East Africa, bringing together 1,000 personnel and units from 23 nations, and is conducted by the US Africa Command (AFRICOM), led by the US Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF).

SETAF-AF lead exercise planner Austin Blessard said, “Justified Accord showcases the desire of US and partner nations to increase readiness and interoperability when it comes to regional security and crisis response.”

The programme includes a multinational command post exercise, field training, live-fir and maritime activities, special operations, cyber courses, and humanitarian and civic assistance projects.

Kenya will host activities primarily in Nairobi and Isiolo, with additional events in Uganda, Rwanda, Botswana, and Djibouti.

Others participating in the exercise are the Massachusetts National Guard, US Army Reserve units including the 772nd Military Police Company, the 645th Regional Support Group, and the 635th Movement Control Team, the 2nd Security Forces Assistance Brigade, the 720th Explosive Ordnance Disposal Detachment and the 7th Army Training Command.

"The 2SFAB will partner with the UK’s 11th SFAB (Irish Guards) to provide tactical expertise to a multinational team from Kenya, Djibouti, Somalia and Tanzania,” a communique from the US government stated.

Additionally, the National Guard Bureau’s State Partnership Program (SPP) will be featured throughout the event.

The Massachusetts National Guard will exchange best practices with Kenyan forces as part of the SPP, focusing on Counter Insurgency Terrorism and Stability Operations (CITSO), a partnership which dates back to 2015.

The CITSO was designed to enhance policing skills with M4 carbine rifles and non-lethal weapons used during a crisis response scenario.