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AU mission steps up training to secure elections in Somalia

Xinhua, August 13, 2016 Adjust font size:

The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) has stepped up training of security officers to help secure the forthcoming elections in the Horn of Africa nation.

In a statement issued on Saturday, AMISOM Deputy Police Commissioner, Christine Alalo, called on the Ugandan police contingent serving with the peacekeeping mission to help Somali security forces secure the elections scheduled for September and October.

Alalo was speaking at the closure of an induction course for more than 100 Formed Police Unit (FPU) officers serving in the police component of AMISOM.

The FPU is tasked with public order management, support to the Somali Police Force and protection for AMISOM, UN and African Union staff.

Somalia will choose a new federal parliament between Sept. 24 and Oct. 10 and a new president by Oct. 30. Some 51 constituency members will elect each MP, which means 14,025 citizens will take part in indirect elections.

If this year's elections proceed as planned, there is hope that the country will hold its first one-person-one-vote elections by 2020.

Alalo appealed to the Ugandan contingent to work closely with the Somali Police Force and police contingents from other countries to help stabilize the country that has been suffering attacks by militants from the Al-Shabaab Islamist group.

Alalo said that one of the mandates of AMISOM was to build the capacity of the Somali Police Force and challenged the officers to ensure the objective was achieved.

"We are at a stage where we must ensure that we build the Somali Police Force to a level that it should be able to take over the internal security of the country," Alalo said. Endit