Reduced African Lion US-Morocco joint exercises resume
Annual US-Morocco war games, cancelled by Rabat over a Washington-backed resolution on extending Minurso's mandate to include human rights monitoring, have resumed on a smaller scale after a compromise was reached, the US embassy said Wednesday.
Source : https://www.marocafrik.com/english/Reduced-African...
"The Moroccan government did ask us (in the past 48 hours) if we could resume African Lion," embassy spokesman Rodney Ford told AFP.
"Most of our forces had already redeployed. But some elements are still on the ground. So we are conducting modified limited military engagements," he said.
Aerial training, refuelling and workshops were among the resumed activities, he added.
The US army was to conduct the "African Lion 2013" joint military exercises with Morocco from April 7-27, involving 1,400 personnel from US Africa Command (AFRICOM) and 900 members of the Moroccan armed forces.
But it began redeploying troops and equipment last week amid disagreement over a plan to broaden MINURSO's mandate in the to include rights monitoring.The cancellation of African Lion came as US-backed plans emerged on extending the mandate of the UN peacekeeping mission in the Sahara to probe alleged human rights abuses, an initiative categorically rejected by Morocco.
The Security Council resolution on the UN peacekeeping force is to be voted on Thursday.
"Most of our forces had already redeployed. But some elements are still on the ground. So we are conducting modified limited military engagements," he said.
Aerial training, refuelling and workshops were among the resumed activities, he added.
The US army was to conduct the "African Lion 2013" joint military exercises with Morocco from April 7-27, involving 1,400 personnel from US Africa Command (AFRICOM) and 900 members of the Moroccan armed forces.
But it began redeploying troops and equipment last week amid disagreement over a plan to broaden MINURSO's mandate in the to include rights monitoring.The cancellation of African Lion came as US-backed plans emerged on extending the mandate of the UN peacekeeping mission in the Sahara to probe alleged human rights abuses, an initiative categorically rejected by Morocco.
The Security Council resolution on the UN peacekeeping force is to be voted on Thursday.
Source : https://www.marocafrik.com/english/Reduced-African...