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 a little more, Tuesday November 17, to 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 based largely on the options paper presented by the politico-military group, a document of around thirty pages (To go faster, the experts have, in fact, decided to transform this “option papers” in CMC). They should therefore ask the experts to “continue the planning work without prejudging 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. The Joint Action could be “adopted quickly, perhaps by December” and launched immediately, underlines a European diplomat. Several evaluation missions (Fact Finding Missions) have already been on site (Addis Ababa, Kampala, etc.) and will continue their work to establish the practical modalities of the operation.

• This mission is of a new kind. This time, it is not a question of advising or assisting a State on its security reform (as in Congo) or of training management (as in Afghanistan) but rather of providing basic training to soldiers destined to go to the front. This is the first “non-Petersberg” mission and, in fact, the first application of the Lisbon Treaty which broadens the scope of traditional interposition or peacemaking missions to “advice and assistance missions in military matters” (article 43). At the international level, this operation should be based on UN Security Council resolutions No. 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 decision from the Security Council. 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. The AMISOM troops themselves suffer from a deficit (around 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 trained by the Ugandan forces (UDPF), under the aegis of AMISOM (the African Union peace force). The training and training of Somali soldiers is also part of AMISOM's mandate. For some trainers, like the French, this should not pose a problem. Elements of the Foreign Legion, from the French Forces based in Djibouti (FFDJ), have already come to Singo (Kiboga district) to train 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 is more intended to teach soldiers the basic rudiments of military action in a group: obeying, combat shooting, setting up and controlling a checkpoint, respecting the principles of law of war (we do not shoot at a red cross or a red crescent, etc.), first aid, etc. It also aims to detect elements who can serve as supervision (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, in fact, part of a more global project by the Somali government aimed at restructuring its armed forces and establishing 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: around a thousand soldiers have already been trained by the Ugandans for a year (some receiving six months of training at the Ugandan military school UDPF – Ugandan forces – from Bihanga) – another battalion is in training; 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, there is not yet frenzied enthusiasm. “Many countries were initially reserved on this operation, there is a lot of progress” notes a European diplomat. Around ten states are ready to commit to this mission or support it: France, Spain, Finland, Cyprus, Luxembourg, Germany (Poland and Hungary are studying support).

• Thesupervision 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 control of the destination of the money -, a key point of the system, one of the avenues followed could be to follow the same path as for international financing. The UN has established the Somalia Security Trust Fund and an AMISOM Trust Fund. At the level of the Somali Government, the Price Waterhouse Cooper firm was responsible for supervising the receipt of international funds, their management
and ensuring that donor objectives are met.

• The financing of the operation should be done essentially by contribution from participating Member States (each State financing its own troops). Financing of collective costs is provided, via the Athena mechanism, by the 26 member states participating in the military actions of the PeSDC (less Denmark). Concerning the payment of soldiers, however, it cannot be provided directly by the EU, as the EU cannot directly finance the establishment of an armed force. But it is already contributing 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 (including €20,2 million already committed) through the African Peace Facility — and the African Union in its effort to equip itself with capacities to plan, manage and coordinate peace support operations — 4,7 million euros from the Stability Instrument —, 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 strategic program for Somalia – which covers political, development and security aspects – amounts to 215,4 million euros for the period 2008-2013 (including around 180 million on 87 projects already identified).

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

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