Military officers urged to foster strong relations with Somali communities

There is need to foster stronger relations between the military and civilians to help speed up peacebuilding and stabilization of Somalia.

Participants at a Civil Military Coordination (CIMIC) workshop held in Beletwayne on Wednesday said the disconnect between the military, civilians and humanitarian agencies is normally a result of communication gaps, which must be narrowed.

“I am sure a lot can be done with more sensitization of the public regarding grievance channeling and addressing mechanism so that the public are fully aware of the systems in place and where they can turn for arbitration” Musa Donald Gbow, AMISOM Child Protection Advisor said.

The meeting held in Beletweyne was organized by the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) in conjunction with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs’ (UNOCHA) Civil Military Coordination Unit, civil society organizations and the Federal Government of Somalia. Its objective was to discuss the humanitarian challenges that arise in conflict areas.

Speaking during the opening ceremony, Beletweyne District commissioner, Mohamed Abdi Osman, called for closer ties between the military and civilians to help speed up stabilization efforts.

“I am glad that the working group in Beletweyne is functional and that people have a forum to discuss and narrow further the communication gap that exists between the peace building and reconstruction efforts team and the general public,” said the District Commissioner.

The district commissioner said there was need to effectively address negative incidents during military operations whenever they occur to maintain public support, adding that cooperation between the civil population and the military is the cornerstone to the peace building and reconstruction process.

Participants at the meeting agreed on the need to strengthen reporting systems and formulate effective planning on humanitarian programmes to minimize problems faced by civilians in military operations.

“We need to have a concerted effort to minimize civilian casualties in war. It should be the responsibility of all sectors and actors to coordinate efforts in order to build a rapport with the communities they serve. This will reduce specific or generally perceived threats by public towards peace building and reconstruction efforts” Said Lami Korom, UNOCHA Civil Military Humanitarian Coordination Officer.

AMISOM has also established Regional Civil-Military Working Groups to help disseminate Somalia Country Specific Guidelines. The objective of the humanitarian working groups is to ease the working relationship between humanitarian actors, the military and civilian populations

The Mission is coordinating a series of CIMIC meetings aimed at sensitizing officers and partners on the importance of protecting the rights of civilians and working closely with them to help realize peace and stability in Somalia.