The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) Police component has conducted training for Somali security personnel and civil servants in HirShabelle State to improve joint coordination to secure the country’s parliamentary and presidential elections.

Last month, AMISOM Police component, in collaboration with the Somali Police Force, unveiled Joint Operations Centres (JOCs) to coordinate with the various security agencies to safeguard the elections.

Presently, AMISOM is training security personnel in the federal member states to operate under the JOCs. Training has already taken place in the South West State and the Banadir Region.

On Wednesday, at least 20 officials from the HirShabelle State completed a six-day training in Beletweyne. The training was conducted by AMISOM and SPF trainers with support from the United Nations Support Office in Somalia (UNSOS).

The AMISOM Police Commander in Beletweyne, Maj. Ebenezer Benson said the training aligned with AMISOM’s role to support the SPF under the National Election Security Taskforce.

“The SPF is at the forefront, and AMISOM will advise on the elections,”  Maj. Benson said. He asked the police personnel to apply the knowledge acquired from the training.

The Director-General of the HirShabelle State’s Ministry of Security, Mukhtar Mohamed Abdullahi, asked the security personnel to perform their duties during the elections.

“You are resilient and have undergone high-level training. We hope you will perform your duties with integrity,” said Abdullahi.