Ethiopian troops train on civilian protection in Somalia

MOGADISHU, Somalia - The Ethiopian National Defense Forces [ENDF] serving under the African Union Mission Forces [AMISOM ] in Somalia has conducted training on civilians protection, in what is aimed at reducing casualties against innocent people during operations.

More often than not, there are massive complaints from the civilians when AMISOM troops carry out operations in Somalia, which often ends up in serious civilian casualties. AMISOM has rarely admitted such cases in the past.

But the ENDF troops on Friday conducted training on respect of human rights which is one of the major priorities of the peacekeeping troops at any particular time. During operations, it's envisaged that civilian casualties are minimized.

Conducted by the AMISOM’s Protection, Human Rights and Gender Unit, the training covered parts of International Human Rights frameworks, Child protection (Children in situations of armed conflict), prevention of Conflict-Related Sexual Violence (CRSV), and Sexual and Gender-based Violence (SGBV).

Gloria Jaase, the Protection Officer for AMISOM, urged the forces to be respectful and fair when dealing with civilians and comply with International Human Rights standards through their entire duty tour in Somalia.

“Annually we have officers rotating in and out of the Mission Area so these training are important to ensure that they prioritize the safety and protection of civilians in all operations. In particular, for this training, we emphasized protecting women and girls from SGBV, conflict-related sexual violence, and respecting their human rights,” she said.

Joshua Samuel, the Police Inspector, who is the Human Rights Officer for AMISOM Police in Jubaland State, said such training is important to remind troops of the need to protect civilians while they go about their duties.

“The training provides agreed guidelines on the protection of children and Human Rights awareness. We need to keep our troops well informed so they would never be in a position where they violate Human Rights,” said Inspector Samuel.

Ethiopian troops man sector III and VI of AMISOM mainly in Southwest state and Jubaland where they have been planning an assault against the Al-Shabaab group. The troops are said to be in final preparations for launching a major assault against Al-Shabaab ahead of their exit in 2021.

There are close to 4,000 ENDF troops in Somalia and an additional 1,000 who aren't attached to the AMISOM. The non-Amisom contingent has often been accused of perpetuating impunity especially in the Gedo region of Jubaland state.

GAROWE ONLINE