Forty-one military staff officers assigned to the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) have completed a week of training in Mogadishu to help them integrate into the mission.
The staff officers will be stationed at the ATMIS Force Headquarters in various roles with a core mandate of supporting the Somali-led peace process, including capacity building of Somali security forces, with a diverse range of educational and military skills.
“At this critical stage of ATMIS, high operational readiness standards are critical to mandate delivery.” At the end of the training on Friday, Maj. Gen. William Shume, ATMIS Deputy Force Commander Operations and Planning, who represented the ATMIS Force Commander, said, “The mission is heavily reliant on the competent, efficient, and dedicated body of staff officers to manage the day-to-day tasks that collectively count towards attainment of the mission’s strategic objectives.”
He then urged the newly deployed officers to become acquainted with the mission’s mandate and to maintain the professionalism that is the foundation of ATMIS operations in Somalia.
“I am pleased to report that the training objectives have been met.” “I formally welcome you to the mission’s staff realm, where professionalism, ethics, military values, high standards, and competence all coexist,” Maj. Gen. Shume added.
The officers were taken through the mission’s Standard Operating Procedures, the Concept of Operations, and an overview of Somalia’s social, political, cultural, and religious context during their induction training. They were also instructed in human rights and humanitarian law.
Officials from the United Nations Support Office in Somalia (UNSOS) and the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) led the training.
Maj. Mary Kaonga of Zambia, an ATMIS Military Gender officer, said the training provided important insights into how to work with female Somali security forces officers to restore peace and security in the country.
“The training has been fantastic because it has allowed me to learn more about the Somalia context, the do’s and don’ts that you are supposed to apply as you are in this mission,” said Maj Kaonga, who has served in the medical corps as a nurse in her home country for 23 years. In 2010, she also worked for the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) for a year.
Military officers from Burundi, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Sierra Leone, Uganda, and Zambia participated in the training course.