Bartamaha (Nairobi):- The German government supports the efforts of the international community to stabilise Somalia. This has been decided by the Cabinet. Up to 20 soldiers of the German Armed Forces (Bundeswehr) will train Somali security forces. The training will start in May in Uganda.
After almost twenty years of civil war the administration structures of Somalia have almost entirely collapsed. Somalia has become a refuge for pirates and jihad combatants.
Supporting the security sector
With 1.5 million internally displaced people and 3.2 million people dependent on humanitarian aid, the country is among the world’s greatest humanitarian crisis areas. The enduring crisis in Somalia as well as, meanwhile, more than half a million Somali refugees in the neighbouring countries also threaten the regional stability.
For a long time the Djibouti Peace Agreement of August 2008 offers a chance for a sustainable solution of the conflict, including all political forces into the process. From this agreement emerged the Somali transitional government which is supported by the international community.
The European Community and its international partners agree on the special importance of strengthening the security sector. The efforts are to enable the the Somali government to carry out fundamental administrative tasks and to restore a minimum of governmental order.
Mission start scheduled for early May
Within the framework of the EU Training Mission for Somalia, a total of 100 instructors and 40 persons, deployed as support personnel, will train Somali recruits. The training programme will include defence against mines and improvised explosive devices, operations in urban terrain as well as medical support and signal communications.
The training will take place in the Ugandan Bihanga camp in two courses for 1,000 Somali recruits each. The start of the mission is scheduled for early May 2010 and it will end after two subsequent training phases with six month duration, respectively, have been completed. The first instructors are scheduled to travel to Uganda in mid April.
Already since 2008, the Bundeswehr contributes to the fight against piracy off the coast of Somalia. On 17 December 2009 the Federal Parliament extended the mandate for the German participation in the EU Operation “Atalanta†by an additional year.
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Source:- defpro
