MOGADISHU, Somalia – Ethiopia’s National Defense Forces [ENDF] serving in the Missionary Forces of the African Union [AMISOM ] in Somalia has been trained in civil protection, in which aims to reduce the number of accidents during operations.
More often than not, there are massive civilian complaints when AMISOM troops carry out operations in Somalia, which often results in serious civilian casualties. AMISOM has rarely acknowledged such cases before.
But on Friday, ENDF troops conducted training on respect for human rights, which is one of the top priorities for peacekeeping troops at any given time. During operations, it is anticipated that civilian accidents will be minimized.
The training was conducted by AMISOM’s unit for protection, human rights and gender and included parts of the international framework for human rights, child protection (children in situations of armed conflict), prevention of conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) and sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV). ).
Gloria Jaase, AMISOM’s Safety Representative, urged the forces to be respectful and fair in dealing with civilians and to comply with international human rights standards throughout their missionary journey in Somalia.
“Every year we have officers who rotate in and out of the mission area, so this training is important to ensure that they prioritize security and protection for civilians in all operations. Regarding this education, we emphasized in particular the protection of women and girls from SGBV, conflict-related sexual violence and respect for their human rights, she says.
Joshua Samuel, the police inspector, who is the Human Rights Officer for the AMISOM police in the state of Jubaland, said that such training is important to remind the troops of the need to protect civilians while performing their duties.
“The education provides agreed guidelines for the protection of children and human rights. We must keep our troops well informed so that they would never be in a position where they violate human rights, says Inspector Samuel.
Ethiopian troops are manning sectors III and VI of AMISOM, mainly in the southwestern state and Jubaland, where they have planned an attack on the Al-Shabaab group. The troops are said to be in final preparations to launch a major attack on Al-Shabaab before their departure in 2021.
There are close to 4,000 ENDF troops in Somalia and another 1,000 who are not affiliated with AMISOM. The non-Amisom contingent has often been accused of maintaining impunity, especially in the Gedo region of Jubaland.
AXADLETM
