Report of the 3rd Regional Session of the Pan African
Course on the Law Of Armed Conflicts (LOAC)
Background
 This third Regional Session of the Course on the Law of Armed Conflicts and Ethics (LOAC course) was held during the period 9 to 14 October 2011 in Capetown.
The Course contents was based on the contents of the annual reference course being held in Spiez, Switzerland.
Venue
The venue chosen for the course was the Santé Hotel which proved to be the absolute ideal venue with its excellent Plenary Halls, practical breakaway rooms, high quality of accommodation, food and support services.
Participants
The 46 Military participants came from 6 countries (mainly from South Africa, but also from Botswana, Kenya, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe), were divided in 5 classes for exercises after lecturers in the Plenary.
Commanders of the Course
 The Course director was Lt Gen V. RAMLAKEN, the Surgeon General of the South African National Defence Force, represented during the opening and closing ceremonies by Major General (MD) Lourens J. SMITH, Deputy Surgeon General.
Major General M. MERLIN represented the ICMM in the RSA.
Col Johan CROUSE of the South African Military Health Service, a service of the South African National Defence Force with his team organised the course and was also the Course Commander.
Lecturers/Instructors/Class leaders
 The same team of Spiez were used so as to maintain the same standard of the course, namely:
1. Col Johan CROUSE - South African National Defence Force
2. Col Ivan KHOLIKOV - Russian Armed Forces
3. Lt Col Pascal ZEN-RUFFINEN - Swiss Armed Forces
4. Lt Col Thorsten SCHAAY - German Armed Forces
5. Lt Col Sylvian FOURNIER - Canadian Armed Forces
6. Miss Pamela ERMUTH - Canadian Armed Forces
Course evaluation
All course participants (Military Medical Personnel) were requested to evaluate, individually and separately, all plenary lectures, all class lectures and all exercises in classrooms as well as accommodation, opening and closing ceremony.
The results were documented and an overall average mark of 89,7% was obtained.
Lessons learned have been summarized during the final meeting of the coordinating and teaching staff and will be used to prepare the next session to be held in October 2012, probably in Durban.
 This third African Regional Session of the LOAC Course is a success and confirms once more that the concept of Spiez LOAC course is exportable. This is very important in this year 2011, which saw the inauguration, in Zurich, of the ICMM Reference Center for Education on the International Humanitarian Law and Ethics, commanded and directed by Colonel (MD, Prof.) Hans BAER, that is now coordinating the whole regional sessions of the LOAC course. In 2011, two other regional sessions of the LOAC course were or will be held in Indonesia and Saudi Arabia. Next year, 4 regional sessions are scheduled in Indonesia, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia and South Africa. The participation of Major General (MD) Andreas STETTBACHER, Surgeon General of the Swiss Army, aside Major General (MD) Lourens J. SMITH in the Closing Ceremony in Capetown, underlined the strength of the links that joint together all the actors of this ICMM training network.
Summary
The course was very well organised and conducted in a professional manner of a high standard and indeed did the ICMM proud.
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