Sabahi Online
Friday, March 08, 2013
The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) on Tuesday (March 5th)
held a workshop on civil-military co-ordination and civilian protection
awareness for key military personnel in the Middle and Lower Shabelle
and Benadir regions, AMISOM announced.
"AMISOM as a military forces has, and can continue to push al-Shabaab
out of Somalia, but there are other issues to be addressed," said
Brigadier General Michael Ondonga, AMISOM commander responsible for the
Middle and Lower Shabelle and Benadir regions. "You also need to change
the mind-set and assist the people affected by two decades of conflict.
These functions cannot be done by AMISOM alone; for this we need to
create a safe and secure environment for humanitarian actors to
operate."
The workshop is part of a broader effort by AMISOM to expand its
capabilities beyond military operations and will be repeated in Kismayo,
Baidoa and Beledweyne.
The workshop "provides a unique opportunity to engage in dialogue on
how humanitarian actors work and also to ensure that the civilian
character of aid delivery is maintained", said Kristen Petillon,
humanitarian civil-military co-ordination officer for the United Nations
Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs.