Hiiraan Online

Hiiraan Online
Sunday, April 12, 2015

MOGADISHU (HOL)---Somali president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and members of the country's military forces commemorated on Sunday the 55th anniversary of the founding of the Somali army.

A big ceremony marking the big day was held at Somalia's defense ministry compound as large parts of the Somali capital was in lockdown for security reasons, however, despite the lockdown security officials
reported security incidents in the city.

Mr. Mohamud who's the commander in chief for the Somalia's armed forces attended the ceremony, vowing his government would strive to prioritize the welfare of the Somali army.

Units of the Somali armed marched through Mogadishu in a show of force in a country which is recovering from decades of war.

Heavily armed Somali forces accompanied the African Union forces in Somalia were deployed across the capital. Somali government which is struggling to make an army overhaul announced steps to implement a
modernization plan for the country's armed forces.

Despite challenges, Somalia continues to rebuild its army. However, according to the International Crisis Group, powerful vested interests and corrupt commanders are the largest obstacles in the way of
reforming the army.

Attempts to improve the military's equipment were impeded by allegations that some of those arms were sold by officers. The ICG also suggested that AMISOM's efforts at assisting in formalizing the military's structure and providing training to the estimated 8,000 SNA soldiers were problematic. Resistance reportedly continued to the establishment of an effective chain of command, logical military formations and a credible troop roster.