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Sixteen newly deployed military officers, serving with the African Union Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), have completed an intense five-day Training of Trainers (ToT) course on Civil-Military Cooperation (CIMIC) to strengthen community relations in their areas of operation.
The training, jointly organised by the AUSSOM Force Headquarters CIMIC Cell and the United Kingdom-Mission Support Team (UK-MST), equipped the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) CIMIC officers with the expertise needed to effectively execute frontline CIMIC activities, supporting the mission’s mandate as outlined by the African Union and the United Nations Security Council.
AUSSOM Deputy Force Commander in charge of Support and Logistics, Major General Peter Muteti, stressed the importance of CIMIC in peace support operations and urged the officers to be diligent in working to build trust and foster positive relations with the local population.
“CIMIC includes everything we do to ensure good relations with civilians in our areas of operations and this is important so that we are able to collaborate with local communities and also get their support. I believe you have achieved your learning objectives and are leaving with the knowledge and skills to operationalise what we have learned,” he said on Thursday.
Maj. Gen. Muteti emphasised the importance of the training timeline, stressing the critical need for sustainable capacity building as the mission transitions to AUSSOM.
The Officer in Charge of the British Military’s Operation TANGHAM, Lt. Col. Chris Charnock, underscored the importance of CIMIC officers in building trust and rapport with local communities.
“Your role as CIMIC officers is critical in challenging your teams and commanders to consider what comes next. Once we have secured an area, we need to think about how to assist the people and bring about peace,” said Lt. Col. Charnock.
The participants covered various topics, including the African Union processes required to initiate Quick Impact Projects (QIPs), stabilisation and planning, CIMIC reporting, Awareness of non-military agencies, and the interoperability protocols between Somali National Army (SNA) and AUSSOM CIMIC officers.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM).