Somalia: ATMIS for Training on Civilian Protection in Conflict Zones

ATMIS Soldiers during a training, Aug 1, 2024 Photo: @ATMIS

August 1, 2024 Hour: 5:10 pm

The training program is part of the ongoing efforts of ATMIS to prioritize civilian protection, as mandated by UN Security Council Resolution 2628 (2022).

On Thursday, the AU mission said that some 26 African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) personnel completed a five-day training program on civilian protection in conflict situations.

The training focused on International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights Law, which was aligned with the African Union’s mission to support a robust Somali National Stabilization Strategy to ensure national security after the withdrawal of ATMIS.

Ferdinand Nintunze, project officer at the African Union Compliance and Accountability Framework, said the training is essential for the mission personnel — military, police, and civilians — who are primarily engaged in protecting civilians from terror attacks in the country.

“It is imperative that they possess fundamental knowledge on how to effectively safeguard civilians during their daily operations,” Nintunze said in a statement issued in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia.

12 #ATMIS troops, including 6 from #DNDF & 6 from #ENDF, completed 2-week training on drone operations. The training equipped the troops with planning skills & enhanced their intelligence-gathering using drones – essential for modern military operations.

The course concluded… pic.twitter.com/ke91Y9ExXy
— ATMIS (@ATMIS_Somalia) August 1, 2024

The training program is part of the ongoing efforts of ATMIS to prioritize civilian protection, as mandated by UN Security Council Resolution 2628 (2022).

The training came as the pan-African body’s peacekeeping force is expected to wind up its peacekeeping operations on Dec. 31, amid fears of a resurgent al-Shabab, the extremist group that is fighting to topple the Somali government.

A new follow-on mission, however, is being planned to help preserve gains registered thus far and the current momentum in the fight against al-Shabab.