How India Seeks To Bolster Defence Ties With Africa

NEW DELHI: Earlier this week, the first meeting of the Army chiefs of India and some African countries took place in Pune. This marked the conclusion of a 10-day field exercise in which contingents from India and nine African countries took part; there were observers from 11 other African nations as well. Among other things, the focus was on counter-insurgency and HADR (humanitarian assistance and disaster relief) operations in which India has considerable experience and expertise. In this episode of ‘Simply Nitin’, StratNews Global Editor-in-Chief Nitin A. Gokhale, who was present at the two-day army chiefs’ conclave, gives a sense of how India is making serious efforts to step up defence cooperation with African nations.