Somali army recruits to be trained in Somalia [501822938] | The Africa Report.com

Posted on Monday, 04 February 2013 16:11

Somali army recruits to be trained in Somalia

  

AT LEAST 3,000 SOMALI RECRUITS HAVE BEEN TRAINED IN UGANDA SINCE 2010/PHOTO©REUTERS

Somalia will soon start training its military recruits in its own territory after years of them being trained in Uganda.

European Union head of delegation in Uganda, Roberto Ridolfi, said with effect from this year the training will be conducted in Somalia.

"The mission will progressively move to Mogadishu to have a greater impact on the security sector. The mission will also advise Somali authorities within the ministry of defence and contribute to capacity and institutional building" Ridolfi said.

At least 3,000 Somali recruits have been trained in Uganda since the exercise started in 2010.

The most recent batch of 551 Somali army recruits held a pass out parade last Friday evening at Bihanga military training school, 400 kilometres west of Ugandan capital, Kampala.

The new recruits have undergone an intensive training conducted by both the Uganda People's Defence Force and the European Union Training Mission (EUTM) and are expected to constitute part of the Somalia national army infantry, deployed to fight Al-Shabab insurgents.

They will be deployed in the field as soon as they get back to their home country.

Currently troops from Kenya, Uganda, Burundi and Ethiopia are fighting the Al Shabab in Somalia alongside the Somali army.

Somalia's Deputy Defence Minister, Ahmed Mohamed Mohamud hailed the AMISOM troops in his country for restoring peace and stability in the country which has been in turmoil since 1992.

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