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STORY: SOMALIA / UNMAS ANTI-IED EQUIPMENT
TRT: 04:47
SOURCE: UNTMIS
RESTRICTIONS: PLEASE CREDIT UNTMIS ON SCREEN
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / SOMALI NATS
DATELINE: 26 FEBRUARY 2025, MOGADISHU, SOMALIA
1. Wide shot, explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) gear, medical equipment and Training of Trainers’ kits, donated to the Somali security forces by the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS)
2. Med shot, training of trainer kits, route search equipment, medical gear, explosives and ordinance disposal equipment
3. Wide shot, Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Somalia, Raisedon Zenenga, and the Chief of UNMAS in Somalia, Fran O'Grady, welcoming Somalia’s Deputy Chief of Defence Forces, Gen. Madey Nurey
4. Various shots, the Director of UNMAS, Ilene Cohn, interacting with the Somalia’s State Minister of Defence, Omar Ali Abdi, and Gen. Nurey.
5. Various shots, Somali National Army’s Lt. Col. Mohamed Mohamud Awale, explaining to guests the use of various explosive ordnance disposal equipment
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Ilene Cohn, Director, United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS):
“Given the nature of the IED threat here in Somalia, it’s essential that we sustain the capabilities of the national security forces and particularly so, now that we’re thinking about the eventual and gradual withdrawal of the AU forces.”
7. Various shots, Lt. Col. Awale explaining to guests the use of various EOD equipment
8. Various shots, medical equipment, route search equipment and training of trainers’ kits
9. Wide shot, Lt. Col. Awale explaining to guests the use of EOD equipment
10. Various shots, Deputy Special Representative Zenenga speaking during the ceremony.
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Raisedon Zenenga, Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Somalia:
“The UN is creating real tangible capacity on the ground for the Somali security forces in EOD, IED clearance and this is what we’re here for – to build capacity that will last long after UNMAS, UNTMIS and UNSOS have left.”
12. Various shots, the Chief of UNMAS’s operation in Somalia, Fran O'Grady, speaking during the ceremony
13. SOUNDBITE (English) Fran O'Grady, Chief, United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) Somalia:
“Our work is far from over. There is a lot more work to do not only in training teams, but also in all the other aspects that require to be in place for a sustainable IED capacity a Somali-led IED capacity to tackle these threats as they go forward.”
14. Various shots, the Chief of UNMAS’s operation in Somalia, Fran O'Grady, and Somalia’s State Minister of Defence, Omar Ali Abdi, signing the handover documents
15. SOUNDBITE (Somali) Omar Ali Abdi, State Minister of Defence, Federal Government of Somalia:
"We need more training and equipment because we are engaged in a bitter war with our enemy, who uses mines on the roads as a weapon of choice. The mines slow us down, and if we can overcome them, we’ll be able to liberate more areas."
16. Various shots, Somalia’s Deputy Chief of Defence Forces, Gen. Madey Nurey speaking during the ceremony
17. Various shots, handover of vehicles
Somalia’s path to self-reliance in national security received a major boost today with the handover of assorted, life-saving equipment to counter the persistent threat of improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
“Given the nature of the IED threat here in Somalia, it’s essential that we sustain the capabilities of the national security forces and particularly so, now that we’re thinking about the eventual and gradual withdrawal of the AU (African Union) forces,” the Director of the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS), Ilene Cohn, said during the event.
The handover ceremony took place in Mogadishu. Representing the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) was its State Minister of Defence, Omar Ali Abdi, along with the Deputy Chief of Defence Forces, General Madey Nurey, and other senior officers from the Somali National Army.
“We need more training and equipment because we are engaged in a bitter war with our enemy who uses mines on the roads as a weapon of choice. The mines slow us down, and if we can overcome them, we’ll be able to liberate more areas,” Minister Abdi said in his remarks to the gathering, referring to the Al-Shabaab terrorist group.
Along with the Chief of UNMAS’s programme in Somalia, Fran O’Grady, Minister Abdi signed for the handed-over material, which included vehicles, training-of-trainers’ (ToT) kits, route search (RS) gear, medical hardware, and explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) equipment.
In addition to the equipment, the ceremony also marked the completion of training of 51 of the SNA’s EOD and RS teams.
From the United Nations’ side, in addition to Ms. Cohn who is normally based at UN
Headquarters in New York, was the UN Secretary-General’s Deputy Special Representative for Somalia, Raisedon Zenenga.
“The UN is creating real tangible capacity on the ground for the Somali security forces in EOD, IED clearance and this is what we’re here for – to build capacity that will last long after UNMAS, UNTMIS (UN Transitional Assistance Mission) and UNSOS (UN Support Office for Somalia) have left,” Zenenga said in his remarks to the gathering.
Long-running support Across Somalia, IEDs continue to pose a significant threat to peace and security, with 597 devices resulting in more than 1,400 casualties last year. In tackling this threat, the SNA’s UNMAS-trained EOD teams have made tremendous progress, with a 70 percent success rate in locating and clearing IEDs.
In addition to supporting explosive threat capacity development of Somali security forces through training, equipping and providing advisory support, UNMAS provides policy and technical advice to the FGS and the country’s Federal Member States on explosive hazard threat reduction, weapons and ammunition, and obligations under the 1997 Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction.
From 2021 to date, UNMAS has trained and equipped 51 of the SNA’s EOD teams and trained trainers through ToT courses to ensure sustainability of capacity development efforts. UNMAS has also trained the Somali Police Force – through funding from the Government of Japan – resulting in a total of 21 trained and equipped EOD teams among the police force.
Addressing the ceremony, O’Grady reiterated the UN anti-mine service’s commitment to ensuring the SNA is fully capacitated to manage IED threats and contribute to Somalia’s long-term security and stability.
“Our work is far from over. There is a lot more work to do not only in training teams but also in all the other aspects that require to be in place for a sustainable EOD capacity, a Somali-led capacity to tackle these threats as they go forward,” he said.
