Samoa Police Inspector Sione Menefata has represented the country at Operation Marara, a regional humanitarian assistance and disaster-response exercise held in French Polynesia from 3 to 18 June.
The operation, coordinated by the French Armed Forces in French Polynesia, brought together 15 partner nations and more than 1,000 military and civilian personnel.
Five ships, seven aircraft and two helicopters from participating countries were deployed during the exercise.
Activities included a deployment to the Tuamotu Archipelago, more than 700 kilometres from Tahiti, a cyber challenge testing resilience against digital threats and a medical seminar focused on humanitarian issues.
Operation Marara is held every even-numbered year in Tahiti and is intended to strengthen regional cooperation and emergency-response preparedness. It complements Exercise Croix du Sud, which is held every odd-numbered year in New Caledonia.
During his participation, Inspector Menefata also met French Ambassador to Samoa Guillaume Lemoine.
The French Embassy in Samoa said the exercise demonstrated France’s commitment to a secure and stable Pacific and reinforced regional solidarity in assisting communities affected by natural disasters.
This article is based on information provided by the French Embassy in Samoa.
