Upemba National Park Graduates Its First Mobile Support Unit

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On October 19, 2026, Upemba National Park graduated the first cohort of its Mobile Support Unit (MSU), following an intensive six-week training program held from September 7 to October 17 at the Kafwi Training Center. The establishment of this specialized unit marks an important step in strengthening the Park’s law enforcement capacity, enhancing operational flexibility, and improving its ability to respond to complex security challenges. Designed as a highly mobile and rapidly deployable force, the MSU will provide targeted reinforcement, tactical support, and specialized capabilities to patrol teams and other law enforcement units operating across the Park, particularly during high-risk, large-scale, or demanding field operations.

The training program combined rigorous physical conditioning with a comprehensive operational curriculum designed to strengthen tactical proficiency, discipline, teamwork, and endurance. Trainees undertook advanced marksmanship exercises at short and intermediate ranges, complex shooting courses, and immediate action drills in both column and line formations. They also practiced tactical position changes, coordinated movements, and rapid regrouping under pressure. These exercises were intended to reinforce individual competence while developing the coordination and collective discipline required to operate effectively as a cohesive unit in challenging and unpredictable environments.

Additional modules focused on convoy protection, tactical casualty care in line with the SAFE and MARCH protocols, tactical communications, land navigation, and reactive patrolling. To prepare personnel for the varied terrain and operational conditions encountered within the Park, the curriculum also included obstacle crossing, fixed-rope climbing, grappling hooks, rappelling, and aquatic river crossings. Trainees further received instruction in objective-site exploitation and checkpoint operations, including vehicle searches and identity verification. This technical preparation was complemented by an intensive physical conditioning program comprising commando marches, obstacle courses, functional circuit training, and navigation runs, building the stamina and resilience required for demanding field deployments.

As Upemba National Park continues its journey of restoration, the need for a specialized, mobile support capability is clear. Protecting one of the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s most important conservation landscapes requires more than a permanent presence; it requires the ability to adapt, reinforce, and respond when circumstances demand it. The graduation of this first cohort is therefore an important milestone in strengthening the Park’s law enforcement system and supporting its broader mission: to secure its landscapes, conserve its extraordinary biodiversity, and help build a future in which nature and neighbouring communities can thrive together.