About 25 Uganda Wildlife Authority Park Rangers have undergone a training programme on how to counter illicit trafficking conducted by the United States government.
The training programme, Counter Illicit Trafficking Junior Leadership Course (CIT-JLC) was conducted in Queen Elizabeth National Park under the watchful eye of U.S. Soldiers with the 403rd Civil Affairs Battalion.
It was designed to develop a leadership training capability within UWA to help develop mid-grade park rangers.
According to a press statement sent to EABW Digital News from the US Embassy, a combined U.S. and Ugandan leadership had a chance to witness firsthand the developing skills that the 25 students displayed in a culminating exercise.
The culminating exercise consisted of realistic scenario-based training events that assessed the Rangers’ ability to put into practice all the skills they learned during the course.
The Rangers planned and executed simulated missions that assessed their ability to navigate, conduct small unit tactics, respond to wildlife crimes, and treat a casualty.
This graduation marked the end of the third iteration of the CIT JLC course. For future courses, the UWA Ranger Instructors, developed through this program, will serve as the primary instructors with U.S. mentorship.
This graduation also marked the development of another 25 students, leading to a new total of 74 Rangers that are ready to continue the sustainable CIT JLC for UWA.
The UWA Rangers are assigned to six different national parks in Uganda that include Queen Elizabeth Conservation Area, Lake Mburo National Park, Kibale National Park, Murchison Falls National Park, Mount Elgon Conservation Area, and UWA HQ Conservation Area.
The graduation of the 25 rangers was attended by U.S. Ambassador to Uganda Deborah R. Malac; Deputy Commanding General from Combined Joint Task Force, Horn of Africa, Brigadier General James R. Kriesel; Executive Director of Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), Sam Mwandha; and UWA Chief Warden Queen Elizabeth Conservation Area, Edward Asalu.
