Staff from the Military Police Battalion are providing training on the protection of dignitaries to members of the Ivorian armed forces

• This course forms part of the European Union’s cooperation with the countries of the Gulf of Guinea

As part of the European Union’s Security and Defence Initiative for the Gulf of Guinea (EU SDI GoG), Spanish Army personnel from the VIP Protection Section of the 1st Military Police Battalion (BPM1) —which forms part of the Bétera High-Readiness Land Headquarters (CGTAD)— are delivering, in Abidjan (Ivory Coast), specialised training sessions on the protection of dignitaries to the Ivorian Republican Guard.

The Spanish team consists of two staff sergeants and two corporals, who are providing training to 25 Ivorian military personnel.

This training exercise demonstrates the commitment of the Spanish Army and Spain — under the operational control of the Operations Command — to international cooperation missions and to strengthening defence capabilities in West Africa, which contributes directly to regional security and stability in the Gulf of Guinea.

Spain in the EU SDI GoG

Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) Decision 2023/1599 established this European military cooperation initiative in Africa, which received Spain’s explicit support. Its main objective is to assist in the development of armed forces capable of containing and responding to the pressure exerted by armed terrorist groups in the West African countries where this cooperation is taking place: Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Togo and Benin.

Since October 2024, following a Europe-wide planning process, Spain has been actively participating in person in the EU SDI GoG. To date, Spanish military personnel have delivered training courses in Benin, Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana. The content has been very wide-ranging, covering everything from logistics and countering improvised explosive devices to signals intelligence and electronic warfare, always in line with the interests of the armed forces of the African countries involved.