African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) pledged to work together in an effort to neutralize threat posed by use of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) in Somalia by terrorist groups.
The pledge was made on Tuesday 11th September 2019 at a meeting between the Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission (SRCC) for Somalia Ambassador Francisco Madeira and the new Head of UNMAS Somalia, Qurat-ul-Ain Sadozai.
Ambassador Madeira and Ms. Sadozai also pledged to work closely with Federal Government of Somalia in countering the threat of Vehicle-Borne Improvised Explosive Devices (VBIED), which have been characterized as a weapon of choice by Al-Qaeda linked Al-Shabaab.
The two officials reiterated their commitment in ensuring Somalia stabilizes and threat posed by IEDs and VBIEDs is tackled before the eventual and crucial implementation and transition plan where AMISOM will transfer responsibilities to Somali government from 2018 to 2021.
UNMAS is Department of Peacekeeping Operations that was formed in 1997, to serve as the United Nations focal point for mine action. It seeks to rid the world of the threat of landmines and unexploded ordinances.
