EOD and IEDD training Ivory Coast

EOD and IEDD training course overview

Students SafeLane trained were from the Ivorian National Security Force and included individuals from both the Army and the Ivorian National Police.

Following an armed rebellion in 2002, the Ivory Coast had been beset with violence of varying degrees for over a decade. 

To assist with local stabilisation efforts, a humanitarian organisation in Côte d’Ivoire prioritised a range of measures to enhance security, including the provision of funding for local capacity building to counter the explosive threat.

To support this objective, SafeLane Global was employed in a training capacity in theatre, and provided the client with a project manager who also functioned as an instructor, a dedicated EOD and IEDD instructor, and a medic to provide on-site assistance and advice. 

All staff were French-speaking, in line with the requirements of  students, with functional English to facilitate communication with the client.

SafeLane had, and continues to have, extensive experience operating in Africa; it has been active for 30 years.  It has worked in 28 different African states and therefore understands that the nature of the threat environment can significantly vary across the African continent. 

During the planning phase of this project, SafeLane Global utilised its understanding to develop a training course that fully responded to the requirements and addressed the critical knowledge gaps of students.

All students were already IMAS Level 2 trained, so the course began with 2 weeks' EOD Level 3 training.  This course covered the following elements:

• Theory of EOD
• Practical EOD exercises
• Written and oral tests

This was followed by 6 weeks of IEDD training, which included:

• Theory of IED construction, emplacement and removal
• Realistic scenarios, such as the use of a wrecked car to simulate vehicle-based IED (VBIED) incidents
• Practical exercises and assessments

To assist in the delivery of this course, SafeLane made use of daily written tests to ensure students were engaged with the course and retaining information. 

At the end of each course the participants were presented with diplomas, with client representatives present.  All students passed the final assessments with very good marks.