BRUSSELS,  (Xinhua) — The European Union said on Tuesday it started military training mission for Somalia (EUTM Somalia) in its capital Mogadishu the previous day.

This is the first training carried out in Mogadishu by EUTM Somalia since its redeployment from Uganda in December 2013.

“This event is a milestone in the history of EUTM Somalia,”said EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton.

The training will be conducted by 16 trainers – eight from Italy, six from Sweden, and two from Hungary. The trainees will be 60 military personnel of the Somali National Army who had been previously trained by EUTM in Uganda.

The refresher course will last four weeks and will train the trainers on infantry techniques and procedures, also including elements of International Humanitarian Law and Military Ethics.

At the end of the Course, the Somali personnel will be qualified as instructor and will train Somali National Army recruits with the mentoring of the EUTM Somalia personnel.

In 2014 EUTM Somalia plans to train and mentor in Mogadishu a total of 1,850 personnel of the Somali national defense forces.

The European Union launched in April 2010 a military training mission in Somalia. This support is part of the EU’s comprehensive engagement in Somalia.

Source:Xinhua