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French and Ghanaian troops conduct medical evacuation exercise

(UN Photo / Sgt. Nartey Benard)

UNIFIL peacekeepers from France and Ghana conducted last week a joint exercise to hone skills and procedures for the safe evacuation of a medical casualty in the main Ghanaian base in the village of Al-Qawzah, south-western Lebanon.

The exercise, conducted on 19 March, was mainly focused on a simulation of an injury to a Ghanaian soldier, his stabilization and eventual evacuation by the French Air Medical Evacuation Team (AMET) using a helicopter.

The Commander of the Ghanaian Battalion, Lt. Col. Frank Gyebi-Abrokwah, expressed appreciation to the French team led by Dr Frederick Boissarie for their quick response and willingness to share experiences with the Ghanaians.

Such exercises are important to prepare troops from different countries for carrying out operational activities in tandem, contributing to a more protective environment in the UNIFIL area of operations in south Lebanon.

Establishment of such a protective environment is a key element of UNIFIL’s 2015 Protection of Civilians Strategy in support of the Lebanese authorities.