EU to train the largest number of Somali troops in 2015

The European Union Training Mission in Somalia (EUTM Somalia) aims in 2015 to approximately match the number of soldiers it trained in 2014, although mission personnel say the security situation in Mogadishu, where the training is taking place, remains “very dangerous”.

The 128-strong EUTM Somalia team in Mogadishu has already completed 11 training courses involving 1,150 trainees, and in the coming weeks another 250 Somali soldiers are expected to complete their training. The mission has set a target of training a further 1,200 soldiers in 2015, an EU military official told reporters on 26 November.

However, getting the instructors to and from their living quarters to the training site is still an onerous chore due to the heavy armament and force protection required to guard against attacks by Al-Shabab.

(Source: IHS Jane’s 360)