Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Forty Somali National Army officers participated in a human rights sensitivity training Sunday-Tuesday (October 28th-30th) in Djibouti city, Djibouti's La Nation reported.
The African Union Mission in Somalia sponsored the training. Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission for Somalia Boubacar Diarra presided over the opening of the training, which aimed to familiarise Somali army leaders with the core principles of human rights and international law.
"A better understanding of international humanitarian law by the Somali armed forces could reduce concerns about the protection of civilians," Diarra said.
Chief of the Djibouti Armed Forces General Hassan Ali Kamil also attended the opening of the training. He emphasised the need for such training in Somalia, where conflict has made concerns about human rights particularly salient.