NAIROBI, Feb. 21 (Xinhua) — The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) has embarked on an induction course for 34 police officers who are expected to start training and mentoring members of the Somali Police Force.
A statement from Nairobi-based AMISOM said on Sunday the course which was opened in Nairobi by the AMISOM’s Deputy Special Representative of the Chairperson of the AU Commission for Somalia Wafula Wamunyinyi has course has attracted police trainers from Ghana, Uganda, Nigeria and Sierra Leone.
“I have no doubts in my mind that the officers assembled here today have the professional competence to deliver on our mandate in Somalia,” Wamunyinyi said.
The police trainers were selected last year following an AU/UN Selection team that travelled to the four countries to conduct an assessment of the officers to serve in the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM).
During this exercise, a little over 600 candidates were selected and put on a database for deployment.
Wamunyinyi said the induction course for the police trainers is part of the African Union’s responsibility to support the people of Somalia who for the past 21 years or so have not seen any peace or development in their country.
He thanked the Kenyan government for offering its Wildlife Training Centre to the African Union for use by AMISOM to train the Somali Police Force.
The course was a move towards expediting the restoration of law and order in the country that experienced 20 years of no centralized administration.
President Mwai Kibaki has always said Kenya will continue supporting the Somali people and the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia in their quest for stability in their country.
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Source: Xinhua
