Senior military and police officers from the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) completed a three-day course on Mediation, Coordination and Humanitarian intervention conducted by ACCORD/TfP held from 2-4 November 2015 in Mogadishu, Somalia. This initiative is part of ACCORD’s continued engagement with AMISOM on conflict management and protection of civilians. The senior AMISOM military and police officers were drawn from Troop Contributing Countries (TCCs).
The training aimed to further enhance the capacity and capability of the mission and its personnel to protect civilians through effective conflict management, support for peaceful resolution of disputes and to further build up effective coordination of humanitarian intervention in Somalia. Furthermore, the training focused on practical exercises and case studies that were developed in conjunction with AMISOM’s current experiences of the mission in Somalia. The training provided the skills necessary for various components in the mission to undertake their duties when they interact with local actors and to be in the position to do so in a cost effective fashion. The training entailed a focus on perspectives and life skills in negotiation and mediation and helped the officers to fully understand the challenges associated with the work that they carry out in peace mission.
AMISOM Deputy Chief of Staff, Col. Dahir Aden Abrar, officially closed the three day workshop and applauded the participants for acquiring much needed knowledge on conflict management and positive resolution of disputes. He stated that, “We need to brace ourselves to meet the challenges. Training in negotiation, mediation and humanitarian intervention did not happen by a mistake but it was planned for this period of our mandate to strengthen our capacity to protect civilians through effective conflict management, support for peaceful solutions to disputes as well as effectively coordinating humanitarian interventions in Somalia”, he concluded.
This is in line with the TfP Programme’s strategic goal for improved and sustainable capacity for peace operations on the continent, through ensuring that functional organisational systems are in place in the UN, AU and RECs, using relevant policy frameworks mandated by the UN, AU and RECs. ACCORD/TfP was represented by Mr Kwezi Mngqibisa, Coordinator, Somalia Initiative and Ms Barbara Mohale, Programme Officer, Peacekeeping Unit.
The Training for Peace Programme at ACCORD is an initiative funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
