On the 6th of November the municipality of Derventa officially took ownership of a bridge built by a EUFOR and Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina (AFBiH) team. The transfer of ownership was marked with a ribbon cutting ceremony attended by EUFOR officers and local dignitaries. The bridge, built over the river Ukrina near Donje Detlak, was built as part of a programme run by the EUFOR Capacity Building & Training department, during which engineers from the AFBiH were mentored as they constructed the new bridge.The project to build the bridge was started in July 2015, when a reconnaissance was conducted on the site. Civilian contractors were employed to install the concrete supporting pillars, and on the 19th of October the construction of the bridge itself began.
Mentoring and co-operation
Austrian and Slovenian engineers from EUFOR joined 2 officers, 2 non-commissioned officers and a total of 16 soldiers from the AFBiH Engineering Battalion on the project. EUFOR has been training the AFBiH in bridge construction for over two years, and during this project the EUFOR trainers stepped back, taking a mentoring role as the AFBiH led during the construction. A total of 105 working hours were spent on construction, creating a bridge spanning over 35 metres. It is estimated that the bridge will be used by 4,000 local people, cutting their travelling times in the local area.
Capacity Building & Training
Engineering and bridge building is just one area in which EUFOR is assisting the AFBiH to develop is capabilities. Since 2012 the Capacity Building & Training of the AFBiH has been the main effort of EUFOR, training and mentoring the AFBiH in areas including peace support operations and de-mining.
Colonel Tayfun Cagan, EUFOR Deputy Chief of Staff Capacity Building & Training said, ‘This is the second bridge constructed this year under our training program, and it is good to see the AFBiH build upon their progress in this area. Initiatives such as this are of benefit not just to the Capacity Building & Training effort, but for the local community as well’
