AMISOM And Somali Forces Undergo Training On Civil-Military Cooperation

Officers from the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and Somali national security forces are attending a four-day workshop to familiarise themselves with the guidelines governing relations between humanitarian actors and security forces in conflict areas.

The participants will also be taken through the Somalia Country Specific Humanitarian Civil-Military Guidelines which specifies how AMISOM and humanitarian actors should relate in conflict areas to ensure assistance is delivered to the needy population in hard-to-access areas.

Brig. Gen. Kitila Bulti Tadesse, the AMISOM Military Chief of Staff, who opened the training course, in Mogadishu, noted that in order for AMISOM to realize its mandate of securing the country, various approaches including civil-military cooperation (CIMIC) ought to be applied to win the hearts and minds of the civilian population.

“As a line of operation, CIMIC is a soft approach that cannot be underestimated in peacekeeping operations,” said Brig. Gen. Tadesse.

He described CIMIC as an emerging strategy which can be applied by AMISOM and the Somali national security forces to build consensus with stakeholders such as local leaders and non-governmental organizations and also act as a bridge between the military and the general population.

Brig. Gen. Tadesse challenged participants to take time to familiarise themselves with the important role CIMIC plays not only in improving the lives of the civilian population but also fighting extremism and other vices.

Lt. Col. Ian Strong, the Commander of the UK Mission Support Team (UKMST) in Somalia, urged CIMIC officers to act as liaisons between AMISOM and the civilian population to help the AU Mission achieve its mandate.

“We need to strengthen cooperation with the local population in order to have their support and also trust you (AMISOM), the federal government and the federal member states,” noted Lt. Col. Strong.

The course is being attended by civil-military coordinators drawn from the contingents of troop contributing countries as well as officers from the Somali national security forces involved in joint operations with AMISOM troops.