Somalia: European Military Aid to Somalia

Abdalle Muumin
RBC Radio
abdalle.muumin@raxanreeb.com

Paris, (RBC Radio) An official source said on Friday that the European Union will approve next week a plan to train around 2000 from elements of the Somali security forces while expanding the European Union to participate in this troubled country.

The plan calls for the establishment of some 200 European Union soldiers training Iraqi army and the Somali police in neighboring Uganda for a year, probably at the request of the Somali transitional government forces to build a strong security component 6000.

A spokeswoman for the High Representative for EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said the EU decision is expected to be released Tuesday at a meeting of foreign ministers and defense and development of the European Union in Brussels will be launched officially planning for this task. Said Cristina Gallach.

“soon to approve the resolution, which we expect to be at the meeting of the European Union, we will chart the real.  We will examine how we can support, in addition to what we are doing about piracy at sea, the Transitional Government”. Cristina Gallach added.

“We believe that this is a very good contribution to global efforts by the European Union to address the problems of Somalia and all effects” she said.

The training will be in phases, beginning about a thousand to two thousand people from the Somali security forces, adding that this needs to be about 200 coach.

Anti piracy activities

In Paris, a military spokesman said on Friday that the French navy arrested 12 suspected pirates off the coast of Somalia and the Seychelles Islands in the framework of the European initiative to combat piracy in the region.

The spokesman said Christophe Prazuck The French warship «Floreal» detained a ship carrying arms and ammunition and fuel in addition to the boats about 650 nautical miles east of Hobyo in Somalia, and 500 miles northwest of the Seychelles.

And increased frequency of attacks on tuna fishing boats and yachts off the Seychelles in recent weeks when Somali pirates have expanded their operations to avoid naval forces patrolling off the Horn of Africa.
The French Defense Ministry said in a statement that the reconnaissance aircraft operating in Luxembourg under the anti-piracy operations guided the ship «Floreal» to some of the boats that seem questionable on Wednesday. and chased «Floreal» timely boats and detained them.

Razok said that France had not yet decided how to proceed with the suspects. In the past, sometimes pirates are delivered to the authorities in the Seychelles, Kenya because Somalia does not have the means to stand trial.

In Hong Kong, said the officers in the Chinese navy said on Friday that is expected to strengthen Beijing and its naval presence off the coast of Somalia and participate in leading an international mission to combat piracy off the coast of the Horn of Africa.

The officers who participated recently in a meeting in Beijing for a joint awareness to resolve conflicts, which leads efforts to combat piracy off Somalia, said China would co-chair of force with the European Union and naval forces multinational joint.

RBC Radio