AMISOM honours police officers for distinguished service in Somalia

BY: 

Twenty-five police officers serving under the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) have been feted for their active role in professionalizing the Somali Police Force.

The Individual Police Officers (IPOs) from Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and Uganda were awarded medals and certificates at a colourful ceremony held in Mogadishu, yesterday.

“You have distinguished yourselves by playing your role diligently and with dedication, pride and respect to the people of Somalia and to other peacekeepers hence we appreciate you all,” AMISOM Police Coordinator for Operations, Daniel Ali Gwambal, told the officers who are rotating out after completing their one-year tour of duty.

Mr. Gwambal thanked the Police Contributing Countries for allowing the officers to serve in the peacekeeping mission and share their knowledge and experiences with their Somali counterparts.

The outgoing Individual Police Officers were deployed to various parts of the country to train, mentor and advice Somali Police officers, on matters security, in accordance with international policing standards.

“We want to thank the Police Contributing Countries for deploying you to Somalia, despite the gap that might have been created back home due to your absence. We want to extend our appreciation and wish you the best in your future endeavours,” Mr Gwambal added.

Last year the UN Security Council authorized AMISOM to deploy a minimum of 1,040 police personnel until 31 May this year and set out strategic objectives to enable gradual handover of security responsibility to Somali security forces.