Military parade marks Defence Forces Day |26 November 2013

A military parade was held at the Seychelles Defence Academy (SDA) on South East Island yesterday morning to mark the Defence Forces Day which is celebrated annually on November 25.

This date marks the anniversary of the 1981 mercenary attack when the Seychelles People’s Defence Forces (SPDF) successfully repelled an aggression carried out by foreign mercenaries with the aim of overthrowing the government then led by President France Albert Rene.

The guest of honour at yesterday’s parade was the country’s President and Commander-in-Chief of the SPDF, James Alix Michel.
Mr Michel received a presidential salute from the parade and inspected the five participating platoons commanded by Captain Antonio Gomme.

Other guests included the Chief of Defence Forces, Brigadier Leopold Payet, Chief of Staff Clifford Roseline, other senior military officers as well as representatives of the French and Indian armed forces.

Speaking at the ceremony, President Michel paid tribute to the soldiers who have fallen defending the country, and to all soldiers who successfully repelled the November 25, 1981 mercenary attack.
Brigadier Payet described the events of November 25, 1981 as an important chapter in the history of the SPDF.

He recalled the determination of our soldiers who did not retreat but went through their first baptism of fire, when the SPDF was still four years old and 70 percent of its current members were not born.

For the occasion, Brigadier Payet had a message for the forces’ young soldiers. He asked them to seize the opportunities the country offers in order to turn their dreams into reality and to continue to safeguard the country’s freedom.

“Military realities have today changed with new security problems such as piracy and terrorism. We in Seychelles are not excluded from these threats, so we must have the unity and solidarity to defend the freedom and dignity of our country,” Brigadier Payet warned.

He also called on all Seychellois to recognise the importance and role of the SPDF in the upkeep of our country’s security. So he reminded that it is important for the population to respect the defence forces.

Brigadier Payet presented President Michel with a re-published version of the ‘White Paper on the Aggression of November 25, 1981 against the Republic of Seychelles’. The white paper was first published after the attack by the Ministry of Education and Information, when President Michel was the minister responsible for that ministry.

During the ceremony, Lance Corporal Louis Marie read in Creole the newly written creed of the SPDF which was echoed by each soldier. In the creed, the soldiers promise to work and succeed with integrity for the defence of the country and people.

Certificates were also distributed to soldiers who had recently attended local military and technical courses. Long service medals and certificates were also presented to members who had been in the force for the last 20 to 35 years.

These included the following who joined the SPDF 35 years ago: Brigadier Leopold Payet, Lieutenant Colonel Clifford Roseline, Lieutenant Colonel Frank Marie,    Majors Raymond Athanase and Francois Antat, Captains Joliff Cesar, Fernand Laporte, Franky Hoareau, Antonio Gomme, Jemmy Marengo, Joachim Cadeau and Lieutenant Brian Payet.

The festivities to mark the Defence Forces Day and the anniversary of the SPDF started on Sunday and will go on during the week.