BAIDOA, Somalia – The first brigade HQ to be trained in Somalia in a generation has completed command and staff training in Mogadishu and returned to its headquarters in Baidoa, the interim state capital of southwestern Kenya. Somalia, in the barracks planned in the United Kingdom.
The Command and Staff Course for Somali National Army (SNA) officers in Baidoa was taught by British Army personnel deployed on Operation TANGHAM.
The course focused on the planning and conduct of stabilization operations, and 19 ANS officers were trained to work alongside national and international security partners, including the Somali Police Force and the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), as they fight Al Shabaab.
The British Army commander who conducted the training, Lt. Col. Alex Hutton, said: The Command and Staff Course gave the officers of the 8th Brigade a solid foundation in planning and control operations at the brigade level. The team look forward to developing their skills and continuing to advise them in person from our training base in Baidoa.
The contingent recently received a visit from the Somali Minister of Defense and the British Ambassador to Somalia.
Addressing visiting students and senior members of the Somali National Army, British Ambassador to Somalia Ben Fender OBE said: Effective planning and oversight of operations is essential to defeating Al Shabaab, and our course innovative for ANS officers will give them the skills they need to plan and conduct effective operations.
“The UK is helping to develop the core of a strong professional army which can keep Baidoa and its surrounding areas more secure. We are determined to support Somalia in its fight against Al Shabaab,” said the British Embassy in Mogadishu in a statement.
The UK is also supporting the Somali National Army by providing equipment, including uniforms and radios, as well as a fleet of vehicles including trucks, ambulances and land cruisers, which provide mobility for the 8th Brigade for that it operates efficiently.
The UK is also supporting Somalia to strengthen its security institutions and governance and in March 2020 transferred a military barracks for up to 450 Somali soldiers and serves as the military headquarters for the 8th Brigade in Southern State -Where is.
The British Baidoa Safety Training Center (BSTC) has been operating for a year and has already trained more than 400 soldiers of the 8th Brigade in Baidoa, in support of the Somali National Army.
