Luxembourg has supplied military equipment to the Cape Verde Army in support of the country's coast guard.
As part of the trilateral defence cooperation between Luxembourg, Portugal and Cape Verde, Luxembourg has just supplied military equipment to the Army of Cape Verde. On 6 and 7 August 2018, the Defence Ministers of the three countries signed a joint declaration to support Cape Verde in its efforts to secure its maritime defence, including the provision of military equipment to Cape Verdean structures and training for the country's army.
On 11 December 2018, Luxembourg Defence Minister François Bausch then signed a bilateral cooperation and financing agreement with his Cape Verde counterpart, Luís Filipe Lopes Tavares, determining the scope of this cooperation and enriching the bilateral relations between Luxembourg. and Cape Verde, which are traditionally in the field of development cooperation.
In the context of this collaboration, the Luxembourg army offered four transport vehicles, 35 Steyr rifles and 35 ballistic security vests to the Cape Verdean Coast Guard in January 2019. This equipment meets specific needs defined by Cape Verde. The transport of the equipment was carried out jointly with the Portuguese Army which transported the Luxembourg equipment from the naval base to Lisbon to its final destination in Cape Verde.
In addition to capacity support, the training of Cape Verdean soldiers is a priority component of Luxembourg support. During the week starting 21 January 2019, the Luxembourg Army offered to the Härebierg Military Centre shooting practice to two Cape Verdean soldiers, a lieutenant, future platoon leader of a new Coast Guard unit and a sergeant.
