Spanish soldiers from the 16th Canary Islands Brigade deliver donations to various institutions in Mauritania

• As part of the Cooperative Security Activity, a tactical sub-group has travelled to Mauritania to carry out a joint nomadic operation with the Mauritanian military

A team of ninety soldiers from the Canary Islands Brigade (BRICAN) XVI —with the “Soria 9” Infantry Regiment as the base unit— travelled to Nouakchott to carry out a week of desert nomadism alongside Mauritanian military units. This was part of the Cooperative Security Activity ‘ASC MRT-16’, a cooperation initiative in the field of security and defence whose main objective is to strengthen bilateral relations with various African countries.

Before completing their deployment and returning to their units in the Canary Islands, a delegation from the military team presented a donation collected in Fuerteventura.

Thus, the ‘Sorianos’ —as the soldiers of the “Soria 9” regiment are called— took a large quantity of food and toys, with the help of Father Raimond, to the children's centre and the convent of nuns in the Mauritanian town of Atar. During this special day, the first stop was the church in Atar, where the training activities for children, young people and women were explained—training in sewing, hairdressing and IT, among other things—before proceeding to deliver a large part of the charitable donation. Next, they visited the children's centre in Atar, where the children are cared for alongside their mothers, and there they also left supplies from the Canary Islands. Finally, the Spanish military also donated food and toys to the school in Atar, which is run by the sisters of the Convent.

Cooperative Security Activity in Mauritania

The team of ninety soldiers from BRICAN XVI —under the command of Major Noel Padron Garabatos— has developed the ASC MRT-16 in northern Mauritania, in the town of Atar. The main means of transport — VAMTAC vehicles and lorries — were shipped by commercial vessel to the capital Nouakchott, and from there they were transferred to the exercise area in the north of the country. The contingent group arrived in Mauritania by air.

After a period of adaptation, planning and preparation of materials, vehicles and equipment, the seven-day nomadic operation began. Among the main operational activities were ambush exercises, welcoming patrol bases, reconnaissance of routes and sensitive points by the two participating Spanish and Mauritanian S/GTs. In addition, on the final day, both units conducted live-fire exercises independently, as well as sharing experiences and knowledge on the subject.

‘Overall,’ says Commander Padrón, "the seven-day nomadic operation has been demanding and very productive for the unit's desert combat training. In addition to cooperating with our Mauritanian colleagues, we were able to test our own capabilities in a long-term combat exercise, with very demanding supply requirements based on limited logistical resources.