ATMIS
The African Union Transition Mission in Somalia trained criminal investigation officers from Hirshabelle State to help them detect and combat financial crimes and disrupt terrorism financing ahead of the mission’s withdrawal from the country.
The mission, known as ATMIS, employed its police component to train the officers in theoretical and practical sessions. Officers improved their skills on financial intelligence, detecting money laundering, investigating corruption and fraud, and understanding investigative methods and procedures.
“ATMIS recognises the need to build the capacity of our Somali counterparts and provide them with knowledge in the face of the ever-growing trend of financial crimes and terrorism financing in Africa and globally,” said Assistant Superintendent of Police Ernest Agbo, ATMIS’ lead police trainer in Jowhar, the capital of Hirshabelle State. “We are happy with the outcome of the training. This was evident during the question-and-answer sessions, where the officers displayed a high level of commitment. We are confident they are now well equipped to detect and stop illegal financial dealings and win the war on terrorism.”
The Hirshabelle State police traffic commander, Col. Hassan Daud, thanked ATMIS for the continued support and mentorship of the Somali Police Force.
“I urge the officers to make efficient use of the skills they have acquired and request ATMIS to conduct more training and mentorship programs for us,” he said.
ATMIS was formerly the African Union Mission to Somalia. The mission is in the process of handing over security operations to the Somali National Armed Forces. The mission consisted of troops from Burundi, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda. It initially deployed 17,000 troops.