Kampala- Members of the UN Security Council should discuss how to strengthen protection of Somali civilians in today’s debate about the mandate renewal of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), International Refugee Rights Initiative (IRRI) said today.

In June, IRRI published a report about civilian perspectives on AMISOM, in which those interviewed were highly critical of the peacekeeping mission. Of particular concern was the mission’s perceived failure to protect civilians, the presence and actions of some of the troop-contributing countries and the lack of accountability for abuses committed by peacekeepers. The mission has undergone a joint review by the United Nations and the African Union.

“Protection of civilians and support to the Somali army has to become an essential component of the mandate of AMISOM.” said Andie Lambe, Executive Director of IRRI.“The mission will only be able to withdraw when Somali security services can ensure adequate protection for its citizens.”

The report is based on interviews with 62 Somalis and is the third in a series on civilian perspectives of peacekeeping forces in Africa. The report and accompanying videohighlight that while some citizens recognise the mission’s contribution to improving the security situation and its heavy losses, many felt that AMISOM had made insufficient efforts to ensure protection of civilians and criticised the mission for its failure to retain control over towns it had taken back from Al-Shabaab.

Interviewees expressed distrust of the foreign presence in their country, especially of troops from Ethiopia and Kenya, while other troops were better regarded. Many citizens lacked a proper understanding of the mission’s mandate, contributing to “a divergence between AMISOM’s self-image as a broadly successful operation and local populations who do not necessarily appreciate the mission’s achievements in the same way”, as described by a report on ten years of lessons learned.

Many of the Somali’s IRRI interviewed spoke of how the apparent lack of accountability for abuses committed by AMISOM forces, including sexual violence and incidents leading to the deaths of civilians contributed to a negative perception of the mission overall. Yet despite this, abuses and accountability were not mentioned the AU Peace and Security Council decision, on 12 July 2017, to extend AMISOM’s mandate until July 2018.

“During the Security Council debate, members should follow up on their commitments to support inclusive, accountable and effective security institutions in Somalia,” Lambe said. “They should express the need for serious accountability for peacekeeper abuses.”

Source: IRRI