Uganda’s Bihanga military camp will stop hosting and training Somali soldiers effective 2014, EU Training Mission in Somalia (EUTM Somalia) has ratified.
Instead, Somali defense forces will be trained at home with EUTM citing improved security climate at home.
The EU Training Mission in Somalia (EUTM Somalia), started early 2010 and has facilitated the training of 3600 Somali troops.
The bulk of the training is done at Bihanga military base 250 kilometres (155 miles) west of the Ugandan capital Kampala.
EU Training Mission in Somalia (EUTM Somalia) headquarters is located in the same area hence capable of auditing the training process and the quality of the training.
Training of Somali troops in Mogadishu will start early2014 with the mission overseeing the advisory, mentoring and training of the troops.
The core role of the EU Training Mission in Somalia (EUTM Somalia) is to entrench the European Union strategy to stabilize Somalia.
Transforming armed militias into Somali government troops is part of the wider pacification strategy.
EU has named Italian officer, Brigadier General Massimo Mingiardi, as new EUTM commander from February 15, 2014, succeeding Irish Brigadier General Gerald Aherne who has run the mission since February 2013.
