improvised explosive devices

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STORY: SOMALIA / AMISOM FORMED POLICE PATROL TRT: 2.53 SOURCE: AU/UN IST RESTRICTIONS: This media asset is free for editorial broadcast, print, online and radio use. It is not to be sold on and is restricted for other purposes. All enquiries to news@auunist.org CREDIT REQUIRED: AU/UN IST LANGUAGE: ENGLISH /NATS DATELINE: 09 NOVEMBER 2012 MOGADISHU, SOMALIA STORY: Somalia has for years been described as a “lawless country” due to decades of civil war and pirates that raided from its coastlines. Bringing law and order to this nation is not an easy task, but one that is inevitable for this nation to move away from its bloody past. To help with this task, a special unit of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) peacekeepers are deployed to work closely with their Somali partners to provide security in the capital, Mogadishu. They are known as the Formed Police Units, a concept that is a first for an African Union Mission. The specialised unit made up of two groups of 140 men from Uganda and Nigeria, can be seen patrolling areas around the city by foot, passing through the once battle ridden streets with members the Somali Police Force (SPF). SOUNDBITE (English), Fenny Kyomukama, Deputy Contingent Commander of the Ugandan Formed Police Unit "The patrols we are conducting today, it is capacity building for the Somali Police Force and to give people confidence that there is security. So people should not worry, security is there.” Since 2007, AU peacekeepers with support from the United Nations have been battling the al Shabaab militant group and have succeeded in pushing them out of the capital and a string of other areas that the Islamic rebels once controlled, Kismayo in the south being the most significant victory for the Peacekeeping force in recent months. SOUNDBITE (English), Hassan Sheik, Somali civilian “It is good and things are very well. It is a pleasure for me, we are hopeful to get peace. There are not problems in this area, it is peaceful.” As the military wing of AMISOM and their counterparts in the Somali National Army (SNA) fight battles and gain territory, the need for a well-trained police force becomes important, to ensure that security is maintained in the liberated areas and peace prevails. Patrolling the streets of Mogadishu is a dangerous affair and these policemen put their lives on the line everyday they go out. Despite al Shabaab withdrawing from the city in August 2011, security challenges still remain with suicide attacks and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) continuing to occur in the Somali capital. Despite these challenges the patrols are bearing fruit as the FPU and the Somali Police interact daily with members of community. SOUNDBITE (English), Rex Dundun, AMISOM Police Chief of Staff “The job of the military is to fight a war and get the place secured, while that of the police has to do with establishing rule of law. Before you can establish rule of law you must place a lot of emphasis on the community, there is that community relations which the police has to focus on.” The Somali Police Force lacks the capacity and continues to need support from their AMISOM partners. The Formed Police Units are playing a crucial role in bridging this gap to improve security through Public Order Management, VIP escorts and providing protection to other AU Individual Police Officers (IPO’s) who are training and mentoring their Somali Police counterparts in modern day policing.