More EU troops to train Somali forces

Defencemanagement
Wednesday, November 18, 2009

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Up to 200 European troops could be sent to help train Somalia's security forces next year, it has emerged.

The troops would be sent to Uganda to train around 2,000 members of Somalia's army fighting Islamist insurgents.

Approval for the training mission could be given at a meeting of EU ministers next week. The training plan is expected to last around 12 months.

Commitments are likely to be led by Spain, with contributions from Britain, Slovenia, Hungary and Greece.

"We will take this decision in the next weeks when we have an operational plan," said Cristina Gallach, spokeswoman for EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana. "Once this is approved, which we expect is going to happen during the (EU) council then we will be launching the real planning."

"We think that this is a very good contribution to the global approach that the European Union has in order to tackle the Somali problems and all of its impact."

EU defence ministers also confirmed the extension of Operation Atalanta, which targets piracy off the Somalian coast. It will now run until the end of 2010.

"We clearly see that if we don't help Somalia, then we could have the Atalanta operation for 20 or 30 years," said France's Defence Minister Herve Morin.

The training missions would bring the total number of trained members of Somali security forces to 6,000. France, Djibouti and Uganda have already initiated training programs for Somali forces.

Hiiraan Online