EU Plans to Train 1,200 Somali Soldiers in 2015

By ADF Last updated Jul 10, 2015

Somali National Army Soldiers prepare for a passing-out ceremony marking the conclusion of a 10-week advanced training course by the African Union Mission in Somalia. AU-U.N. INFORMATION SUPPORT TEAM PHOTO

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The European Union Training Mission in Somalia plans to train 1,200 Somali National Army (SNA) noncommissioned officers, junior officers, specialists and military instructors in 2015. The effort is part of an internationally backed capacity-building program for Somali security forces.

The security and stabilization mission trained 1,150 SNA Soldiers in 2014 and aims to continue producing graduate officers in the same numbers in 2015, according to media reports from Brussels. The mission was moved from Uganda to the Somali capital, Mogadishu, in January 2014. It has held 11 training courses and graduated nearly 4,000 SNA officers and specialists since it began in 2010.

The training is focused on commander up to battalion and company level, in addition to specialist training in the areas of military police, civil-military cooperation, intelligence and combat engineering.

The EU’s Jazeera Training Camp in Mogadishu also provides lectures on international humanitarian law, human rights and the protection of civilians in combat situations.