Mandate and activities
The Mission contributes to the establishment and capacity building of Somali federal and regional maritime civilian law enforcement capability. A key aim is to assist Somali federal and regional authorities in carrying out the normal suite of coast guard functions and policing the coastal zone on land and at sea.
The Mission provides strategic level advising, mentoring and instances of specialised training, including in specific rule of law and security niches such as police-prosecutor cooperation and law drafting, which are necessary to improve maritime security. The Mission cooperates with the Federal Government of Somalia, as well as with the Puntland and Somaliland authorities.
The Mission’s operational activities focus on providing support to the development and implementation of maritime civilian law enforcement related policy, legislative and institutional frameworks, as well as on delivering capacity building activities to maritime civilian law enforcement agencies, the judiciary and prosecutors, through advisers and embedded experts. EUCAP Somalia’s main counterparts are the Somali Police Force Maritime Police Unit (MPU) in Mogadishu, the Somaliland Coast Guard, the Bosasso Port Police as well as Ministries of Interior and Justice, Attorney General’s Offices, the police, prosecutors and judges at federal and state level. The Mission’s strategic advice, mentoring and training are complemented by the coordination and facilitation of specialised operational training, provided by other partners, in particular the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). Furthermore, the Mission works in close cooperation and coordination with other EU instruments and international partners to respond more effectively to Somali priorities and support the implementation of a comprehensive national maritime strategy.
EUCAP Somalia has assisted the Federal Government’s National Security Office in drafting a Coast Guard Options Paper, a draft National Maritime Threat Assessment and a draft National Maritime Security Plan, as part of Somalia’s implementation of maritime security aspects of the National Security Policy. It has supported the development of a draft Somaliland Coast Guard Law. EUCAP Somalia has supported cooperation between judges, prosecutors and police services to address maritime crime and strengthen the maritime criminal justice chain. In close coordination with Oceans Beyond Piracy and UNODC, the Mission has mentored personnel assigned to the Interim Operations Room at the Somaliland Coast Guard base in Berbera. The Mission supports the Police Professional Development Board (PPDB) in Mogadishu, a permanent platform for the harmonisation, review and evaluation of maritime police trainings and curricula, as well as the refurbishment of the Police Academy in Mogadishu. Together with EU NAVFOR Atalanta and the UN Assistance Mission to Somalia (UNSOM), the Mission delivered a Joint Maritime Security Seminar on board the EU NAVFOR Flagship Tromp in Berbera Port. In partnership with UNODC, through annual Joint Work Plans, EUCAP Somalia contributes to help develop the operational capability of the Maritime Police Unit in Mogadishu, Somaliland Coast Guard and the Bosasso Port Police.
