The 24th ESDP mission “EuSec Somalia”: green light on Tuesday

(BRUSSELS2) The 27 Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Defense of the European Union should commit themselves a little more, on Tuesday 17 November, towards an operation to assist in the training of Somali soldiers (EUSEC Somalia or EUSECFOR *). Defense Ministers should therefore adopt the Crisis Management Concept (CMC). This will be largely based on the options paper presented by the politico-military group, a document of about thirty pages (To go faster, the experts have, in fact, decided to transform this "option papers" in CMC). They should thus ask the experts to "continue the planning work without prejudging the possible consequences on a possible ESDP action". The planning of the operation (concept of operation - Conops, operation plan - OpPlan) will be able to be accelerated. Common Action could be "passed quickly, possibly by December" and launched in the process, underlines a European diplomat. Several evaluation missions (Fact Finding Missions) have already been on the spot (Addis Ababa, Kampala...) and will continue their work to establish the practical modalities of the operation.

• This mission is a new kind. This time, it is not a question of advising or assisting a State on its security reform (as in the Congo) or of training management (as in Afghanistan) but rather of giving basic training to soldiers destined to go to the front. It is the first "non-Petersberg" mission and, in fact, the first application of the Treaty of Lisbon which widens the scope of the traditional missions of interposition or restoration of peace to "military advice and assistance" (article 43). At the international level, this operation should be based on the resolutions of the UN Security Council n°1772, 1863 and, above all, on resolution 1872 which calls for "urges its member states to contribute to the United Nations Trust Fund for Somali Security Institutions and to offer technical assistance for the training and equipping of security forces Somali" (it would therefore not be necessary to formally have a new Security Council decision. But a resolution welcoming the EU's effort would be welcome and would strengthen the European operation).

• The need to quickly train Somali security forces is the result of the lack of community engagement
international. After the failure of Operation Restore Hope and the withdrawal of UN forces, no state in the northern hemisphere wants to engage directly on the ground in Somalia in what looks like a trap. AMISOM troops themselves suffer from a deficit (approximately 5200 men out of a target set in 2006 at nearly 8000 men).

• The operation would essentially take place in Uganda where Somali soldiers are already being trained by the Ugandan forces (UDPF), under the aegis of AMISOM (the African Union peacekeeping force). The education and training of Somali soldiers is also part of AMISOM's mandate. For some trainers, like the French, this shouldn't be a problem. Elements of the Foreign Legion, from the French Forces based in Djibouti (FFDJ), have thus already come to train, in Singo (district of Kiboga), the forces
African women going on mission for AMISOM in Somalia.

Legion soldiers training the (Ugandan) military for AMISOM (Credit: DICOD)

• The operation aims to train around 1000 to 2000 soldiers. Basic training is quite short - a few weeks - and more intended to teach soldiers the basics of military action in a group: obeying, combat shooting, setting up and controlling a checkpoint, respecting the principles of law of war (one does not shoot at a red cross or a red crescent, etc ...), first aid, ... It also aims to detect the elements that can serve as a framework (non-commissioned officer or officer ). A second more elaborate training could take place for them. In short, as a European diplomat explains, this operation aims to give "to Somalia an embryo of
strength starting with the basic formation and progressing to command formations where possible."This training is indeed part of a more global project of the Somali government aimed at restructuring its armed forces and forming a new security force of 6000 men.

• Somali troops have already been trained : 1) in Uganda by the African Union, with the support of the Americans: about a thousand soldiers have already been trained by the Ugandans for a year (some receiving a six-month long training course at the military school of the UDPF - Ugandan forces - from Bihanga) - another battalion is being formed; 2) in Djibouti by the French (500 people receiving rapid training for a few weeks in August and October) and the Djiboutians. But the number is still insufficient compared to the objective set.

• According to initial estimates, to train 2000 soldiers, it would take about 400 trainers some of which could be provided by African Union countries. The EU could provide up to 200. The United States and Russia are also interested in supporting this training (not automatically with trainers). On the EU side, however, it is not yet frenzied enthusiasm. "Many countries were initially reserved on this operation, there is a lot of progress" notes a European diplomat. A dozen States are thus ready to commit to this mission or to support it: France, Spain, Finland, Cyprus, Luxembourg, Germany (Poland, Hungary are studying support).

• L'supervision of soldiers thus trained should be ensured, on their return to Somalia, by AMISOM soldiers (those trained by the Ugandans already accompany the peacekeeping troops of this country).

• About their payment soldiers somali - including the control of the destination of the money -, a key point of the device, one of the tracks followed could be to follow the same track as for international funding. The UN has established the Security Trust Fund for Somalia and a Trust Fund for AMISOM. At the level of the Somali Government, the firm Price Waterhouse Cooper was responsible for supervising the reception of international funds, their management
and ensuring that donor objectives are met.

• The financing of the operation should be done essentially by contribution of the participating Member States (each State financing its own troops). Collective costs are financed, via the Athena mechanism, by the 26 Member States participating in the military actions of the CSDP (minus Denmark). Concerning the payment of soldiers, however, it cannot be provided directly by the EU, as the EU cannot directly finance the setting up of an armed force. But it already contributes indirectly to the stability actions carried out in Somalia.

• EU financial support for stabilization actions in Somalia. The EU budget directly supports AMISOM — €35,5 million (of which €20,2 million has already been committed) through the African Peace Facility — and the African Union in its effort to build capacity to plan, manage and coordinate peace support operations — €4,7 million from the Instrument for Stability — with the establishment of the Strategic Planning and Management Unit (SPMU Strategic Management and Planning Unit). The SPMU benefits from 4 seconded European planning officers (budget, human resources, communications, engineering) - financed by an additional contribution of 750.000 euros -. Finally, the EU's strategic program for Somalia — which covers the political, development and security aspects — amounts to 215,4 million euros for the period 2008-2013 (of which approximately 180 million for 87 projects already identified).

(*) I use this name for convenience, the name of the operation is not yet defined.

NB: To realize the situation in Somalia, you can watch the France 2 report which followed as far as Mogadishu with Amisom soldiers, Mohamed Abdi Gandi, an anthropologist at the University of Besançon who joined the transitional government
Somali (GFT): Somalia, portrait of a democrat