India-Africa Military Exercise Starts In Pune

India and 23 African countries started a nine-day military exercise in Pune on Tuesday. The main goal of the exercise is to make it easier for the two groups to work together in the military. A lot of new equipment made in India is being used at the exercise so that the troops from the different countries can see how well it works.

Botswana, Cameroon, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Morocco, Niger, and Nigeria are some of the African countries that are taking part in the Africa-India Field Training Exercise (AFINDEX).

Army officials said that people from the Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Seychelles, Senegal, Sudan, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe will also be there.

The Indian Army has put on the joint exercise as part of India’s efforts to reach out to Africa.

An Army official said, “Military cooperation and engagement between the participating member nations are important for making UN peacekeeping operations more interoperable and ready to go.”

The official said that the goal of the exercise is to keep building on the steps that have already been taken to strengthen relations between India and Africa, with a focus on improving peace and security.

He said that the joint exercise will show how the theme-based training works in the real world. It will also help the participants understand and use the validated drills and procedures through situation-based discussions and tactical exercises.

On March 28, a day before the military exercise ends, Chief of Army Staff General Manoj Pande will also host a “India-Africa Chiefs Conclave.”

The Indian industry will also put on an exhibition of military platforms that were made in India on March 29 to show the visiting delegates how good the country is at making weapons.