EUCAP Somalia Faces Growing Scrutiny Over Transparency of Police Training

MOGADISHU, Somalia — The European Union's civilian security mission in Somalia is facing calls for greater transparency over its police training programmes, with critics questioning whether the mission has delivered effectively on its mandate and calling for greater oversight of its activities.

EUCAP Somalia, which supports the Somali Police Force through training, advice and institutional development, says its work is aimed at building professional, accountable and sustainable policing institutions.

But critics argue that some of the mission's activities have not been sufficiently transparent, raising questions over the selection of trainees, the objectives of individual programmes and the measurable results of the training.

They have called for training activities that lack adequate public disclosure or clear oversight to be suspended pending a broader assessment of their effectiveness.

The criticism comes as EUCAP Somalia itself highlights accountability, national ownership and institutional trust as key elements of its work.

In a statement published Tuesday, the mission said it was seeking to move "from training individuals to strengthening institutions" and from externally supported capacity-building to "Somali-owned capability."

The mission also said effective police cooperation required building trust, connecting institutions and creating sustainable security.

EUCAP Somalia has worked with Somali authorities on legal and institutional reform, police capacity-building, operational development and maritime security.

Critics, however, say the stated objectives need to be matched by stronger disclosure of how training programmes are designed, implemented and evaluated.

They argue that international assistance should reinforce Somali ownership of the security sector and should be subject to clear accountability mechanisms, rather than operating through programmes whose scope and outcomes are not sufficiently visible to the public.

The calls also raise broader questions about the effectiveness of international security assistance in Somalia, where several foreign missions support the country's police, military and justice institutions.

For EUCAP Somalia, the challenge is therefore not only to provide training but to demonstrate that its programmes are producing sustainable improvements in Somali security institutions.

The mission's current public messaging places particular emphasis on accountability, command and control and national ownership — principles critics say should also govern the mission's own activities.

I can also make this more hard-hitting and investigative, with a headline such as “EUCAP Somalia Under Fire Over Transparency and Failure to Deliver on Mandate.”

GAROWE ONLINE