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AU urges troops to protect civilians during operations in Somalia

Xinhua, June 13, 2016 Adjust font size:

The Africa Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) has called on its troops to protect civilians during their military operations against Al-Shabaab militants in the Horn of Africa nation.

Acting AMISOM Chief of Staff Col. Shadrack Othieno Mutacho said the soldiers who have been engaged in the fight with Al-Shabaab should take precautionary measures and protect civilians.

"The military of today has to comply with the law. When it comes to gender issues, women and children are considered to be a vulnerable group and therefore whatever we do, we must ensure that this group is protected," Mutacho said in a statement issued by AMISOM on Monday.

The remarks came after the AU soldiers mistakenly killed four civilians during a security operation against Al-Shabaab in Bula Marer, Lower Shabelle Region in April.

AMISOM forces had set up a roadblock during the operation to flush out the militants when a speeding vehicle approached the roadblock and failed to adhere to repeated warnings to stop.

Assuming the car to be a Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Device (VBIED), the troops opened fire, resulting in the death of four occupants of the vehicle.

Mutacho, who was speaking while closing a three-day training workshop for AMISOM focal persons for the human rights cluster in Mogadishu, called on AMISOM officers to ensure transparency, accountability and responsibility of their actions and operate within the scope of the law during the day-to-day execution of their duties in military operations.

The workshop attracted at least 15 participants from the AMISOM contingents of Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda.

Omar Abdulle Alasow, Acting Head of AMISOM Protection, Human Rights and Gender Cluster, urged the officers to apply what they have learned during the training.

The training was aimed at enhancing officers' understanding of the international humanitarian law governing the conduct of AMISOM military operations, international human rights law applicable in armed conflicts, issues of child protection, gender, prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse, and AMISOM rules of engagement. Enditem