KISMAYO – Kenyan troops serving under the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) have concluded a two-day training course on the protection of civilians during military operations.
Thirty-one newly deployed officers, among them three females, attended the training conducted in Kismayo, the administrative capital of Jubaland State.
The training, which covered International Humanitarian Law, aimed to reinforce their knowledge and skills on their obligation to protect civilians while undertaking operations in the Area of Responsibility (AoR).
“We are focusing on several modules of protection, including general protection, child protection, (and) women protection, but of course, we are also going to cover IHL (International Human rights Law) in the discussion,” said ATMIS Protection Officer, Gloria Jaase.
Under international humanitarian law, armed forces are required to protect the civilian population from dangers arising from military operations, with people with specific needs, such as children, women, the elderly, persons with disabilities, and displaced people, requiring special attention.
“We have taken our officers,” Ms. Jaase explained, “through the guidelines of protecting civilians as established by the African Union for peace support operations. We have also taken them through the legal frameworks guiding them on protecting civilians.”
Lieutenant Tom Obonyo, one of the participants said that the course was beneficial and served as a refresher to remind them of their primary responsibility to ensure the protection of civilians.
“We are very grateful to attend this course on (the) protection of civilians in this operational area. As the main actors in this operation, we need to get this particular knowledge, (especially) protection of women and children, and the lessons will go a long way in assisting us to conduct our operations,” said Lt. Obonyo.