Monday May 30, 2022
About 28 senior officers from the military and police
components of the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) and the
Somali National Army (SNA) have wrapped up a joint training to enhance their
abilities to reach out to communities in the liberated areas, officials said on
Sunday.
The five-day training focused on humanitarian awareness and
principles, the Somalia transition plan, gender concepts, protection of
civilians, human rights, justice systems in Somalia, media relations and local
diseases and prevention.
Herman Kabwita, ATMIS Chief Civil-Military Cooperation
(CIMIC) officer said CIMIC training is necessary to help newly deployed AU
mission’s officers better understand the local context, and also prepare Somali
security forces to take over security responsibilities once ATMIS exits
Somalia.
“The aim is to sharpen these officers, who are new in the
mission, in such a way they will be able to operate independently within local
communities,” Kabwita said in a statement issued in Mogadishu, the capital of
Somalia.
The AU mission said the training will reinforce the
knowledge and skills of the troops on the need to protect civilians and also
help them understand the need to protect civilian populations during security
operations.
ATMIS Chief Military Information Officer and Acting Chief of
Staff, Hans Nyange told the participants to apply most of the knowledge
acquired in their various sectors.
“It is also significant to remember that CIMIC tasks involve
coordination, cooperation and sharing of information between the military and
the civilian population,” Nyange said.
Mohamed Foley, SNA security officer, said the training was
important to him and his colleagues, especially on how to build mutually
beneficial relations with members of the civilian population.
“We learned a lot in this training including the nuances in
the local communities and how to conduct ourselves in newly liberated areas
where the population need quick impact projects to meet some of their immediate
needs,” Foley said.
ATMIS, which replaced AMISOM, began operations on April 1
and will work to prepare the Somali security forces to take over responsibility
for security in the country by 2024.