Uganda Training Mission Is Set to Move
Szöveg: Maj. Dr. Tibor Steiner | 2013. február 25. 9:03The training mission in Uganda has started preparing for the relocation to Mogadishu. In practical terms this means that the leaders of the Mission Headquarters (MHQ) in Kampala continuously send out specialists in weekly turns to conduct site survey and build relations at the forward headquarters which is located at Mogadishu International Airport.
with the Ugandan troops participating in the operations of the African Union (AMISOM)
in Somalia. Last time, between February 4–11, as the first one after the risk analysts, a
Hungarian legal staff officer visited the camp guarded by the armed forces of the African
Union to gain experience about the immigration procedures that are needed for entry into
the country. In addition, he developed relations with the representatives of the camp-based
international organizations (UNMAS, UNPOS, UNDSS, OCHA) and private companies
(Bancroft, African Sky).
The forward headquarters of the EUTM Somalia mission is currently located at the
international airport which operates in a camp protected by AMISOM on the shore of the
Indian Ocean. It is housed in the part of the camp of the private military company Bancroft,
a contractor employed by the mission. The containerized housing units and offices provide
relatively good conditions for the undisturbed performance of service duties. Daytime
temperatures reach 40 degrees Celsius at noon, so air conditioning is indispensable. The
continuous breeze coming off the water is refreshing in the heat. As it stirs up the white desert
sand, it is advisable to wear sunglasses.
At the same time, the ocean provides opportunity to bathe after work, although the camp
does not have any coastal sectors built for this purpose. Apart from the officers serving with
the rotation of the European Union, currently there are only African soldiers staying in the
village-sized camp, who are responsible for guarding the camp and providing armed force
protection to the convoys moving in the city. The mission, however, has its own defence unit,
which will take over from the AMISOM forces the armed force protection of all external
movements between the al-Jazeera camp housing the Somali troops, the Somali Ministry
of Defence and the international airport. This is needed because the military advisors and
trainers serving with the mission are going to commute daily between their daytime duty
stations in the city and their accommodation at the airport. Reliable armed self-defence has
priority at any rate, since – in spite of the significant improvement in the security situation –
al-Shabaab, the African sister organization of al-Kaida regularly carries out surprise attacks
with hand grenades, submachine guns and roadside bombs, and sends suicide bombers to the
city.
The first military advisors are to start their work from the end of March in “Villa Somalia",
the building housing the Somali Ministry of Defence, where they are going to assist with
the work of the country’s military leaders. Until the end of this year the trainers will train
company commanders, military policemen, CIMIC specialists and military technology
engineers in the Bihanga Training Camp, but from next year on, the site of the training will be
permanently relocated to the al-Jazeera camp in the Somali capital, while the Kampala MHQ
will be relocated to the already established part of the camp at the international airport.
Photos by the author
