Uganda deployed police officers mid-August, 2015to serve on the peacekeeping mission in Somalia under the mandate of African Mission in Somalia. 140 members of a contingent of the Ugandan Individual Police Officers (IPOs) were deployed under the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM).
The Ugandan IPOs left Uganda for a one week induction training on the landscape of Somalia as well as the culture of Somali people for their start of operation.
Policing in the peacekeeping mission is of great importance for the operations of AMISOM forces and importantly for the general law and order as Somalia approaches her elections. The IPOs will complement the efforts their military colleagues in AMISOM in keeping peace. Their role of liberating the country into a peaceful one is very important.
IPOs are involved in training, mentoring, advising and helping build the individual capacities of Somali police officers as well as the Somali Police Force (SPF) as an institution.
Apart from the combatant wing of the peace force, which is a mandate of the AMISOM forces, Somalia needs regular police to support the work of the regional task force. At the moment, the Somali police are a little weak thus the need for better trained forces to provide an orientation. Uganda’s move to deploy her individual police officers is regionally welcome as a generous gesture.
