Tag Archives: Somalia

UGS MARSEC Digest September 2014

  October 3, 2014 ,
UNSOM SPF Training

UNSOM Trains Somali Police Force More than 30 officers of the Somali Police Force  completed on Sep 24th a training course tailored to boost their skills and knowledge. This was a two week long comprehensive training targeted the Professional Standards Unit of the SPF and covered areas ranging from handling investigations, dealing with witnesses, handling crime scenes and human rights and international humanitarian law, among others. 35 participants, including 9 female officers, took part in the training, conducted by the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) in partnership with the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), the European Union Capacity Building Mission for Maritime Security, the UN Police and the UN Development Programme. The trainers say the course was tailored … Continue reading

UGS Weekly Digest 12 – 18 May 2014

  May 21, 2014 ,
HMAS-Darwin-Seizes-132-Mln-of-Drugs-off-Somalia

Illicit Trade by al Shabaab Bringing Terrorism to the Indian Ocean By Ilias Papadopoulos Master in International Relations & Strategic Studies               In 15/05, an Australian Navy warship, HMAS Darwin, patrolling the coast of Somalia seized a total of 449kg of heroin ($123 mn value). This brought to the forefront again the ways that Somali terrorist groups, particularly al Shabaab, an al Qaeda offshoot, operating in southern Somalia acquire their financing.             Initially the goal of al Shabaab being strictly politico-religious forbade it from embarking in petty crime. Thus their source of financing until 2010 was from other states that either supported their radical cause (e.g. Saudi Arabia), or that wanted to destabilize the targets of the terrorist group … Continue reading

UGS Weekly Digest 31 Mar – 06 Apr 2014

  April 8, 2014 ,
UGS

Separatism and State Stability in Somalia How this week’s events affect maritime security? By Ilias Papadopoulos – UGS Strategic Analyst  Master in International Relations & Strategic Studies With the UN Secretary General announcing last October that Somali piracy has fallen to a 7-year low, many scholars hurried to prophecy ‘the end of terror’ in the region. But by looking exclusively in numbers these scholars failed to grasp the bigger picture, which is comprised by two facts. The first is that the fall of piracy is in direct relation to the success of the measure of placing armed personnel on vessels transiting the region. The second is that the root causes that create the piracy have not been addressed. From these … Continue reading

AMISOM condemns attack in Buulo Burto town, Somalia

  March 20, 2014 ,
AMISOM

Mogadishu, March 18th 2014 The Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission (SRCC) Ambassador Mahamat Saleh Annadif today strongly condemned the cowardly attack on AMISOM and Somali National Forces in Buulo Burto. During the 3am attack, a vehicle filled with explosives rammed into one of the gates housing the soldiers in Buulo Burto town located 125 kilometres from Beledweyne in South Central Somalia, killing AMISOM and SNA troops and injuring others. Ambassador Annadif expressed his heartfelt condolences to the Djiboutian contingent and Somali National Army following the loss of life of the soldiers, adding that AMISOM will not be deterred in its determination to secure the safety of the Somali people. “AMISOM today stands with the fallen … Continue reading