EU extends Somalia military mission one more year

EU extends Somalia military mission one more year

2011-07-29 07:49:17 GMT+7 (ICT)

BRUSSELS (BNO NEWS) -- The European Union (EU) on Thursday announced that it has extended its military mission in Somalia for one more year.

Under the decision, which was adopted by the EU Council, Colonel Michael Beary is appointed commander of the European Union Common Security and Defense Policy military mission that contributes to the training of Somali Security Forces.

The extended mission, which first launched in February 2010 under the command of Colonel Ricardo Gonzales Elul, will take effect on August 9 and will provide two six-month training periods. It will also continue to contribute to the development of the Somali security sector through the provision of military training to Somalia's National Security Forces (NSF).

The Somali Transitional Federal Government has expressed support and reiterated the country's full commitment to building a command and control structure for the NSF, to protect the civilian population, and to integrate different militias and clan forces into the NSF.

According to the EU, military training will now particularly focus in developing the command and control structures, specialized capabilities and self-training capacities of the Somali NSF.

In addition, it is targeting the transfer of EU training expertise to local authorities and will continue to be carried out mainly in Uganda. Elements of the Somali mission will also be based in Nairobi and Brussels.

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