The EUCAP Field Office in Hargeisa, Somaliland, has a total of fourteen European Mission Members who come from Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Sweden and Romania, and eight Somali Mission Members, who work as a team to build relationships with and deliver capacity support to partners from Somaliland Government institutions.

The Field Office works closely with the Somaliland Coast Guard (SLCG) to provide programs that build the capabilities and the skills needed to protect the coast of Somaliland and increase maritime security. Strategic Advisors and Coast Guard Advisors from the office deliver training in both Hargeisa and the coastal town of Berbera, where EUCAP has a permanent presence, on practical and theoretical maritime law enforcement, including the prevention and suppression of trafficking and smuggling (PSTS).

In 2018 EUCAP partnered with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Swedish Government who, under a “Swedish Boat Project” donated new search and rescue (SAR) fast boats to the Coast Guard and facilitated Swedish Coast Guard experts to deliver trainings on search and rescue, boat handling, communication and navigation.

EUCAP in Hargeisa also has a strong relationship with the Ministry of Interior, which is the line Ministry for the Somaliland Coast Guard, and supports the sub-working group meetings on Maritime Security by acting as a secretariat for the group, providing assistance on the development of concept notes and project development of the working group.

Alongside its maritime work, EUCAP Field Office in Hargeisa works directly with the Somaliland Attorney General Office, conducting joint law enforcement trainings for police, prosecutors, lawyers and judges as well as for the Somaliland Coast Guard.

As part of this rule of law support, EUCAP assisted the Attorney General’s Office to finalise the Somaliland Coast Guard Law, supporting a Drafting Committee which was made up of representatives from the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Justice and Judicial Affairs, the Law Reform Commission and the Counter-Piracy Coordination Office. As a result in March 2017, the Somaliland Coast Guard Law was passed by the Somaliland Cabinet of Ministers, and signed by the president of Somaliland in December 2018.

After all the hard work supporting partners in Somaliland, EUCAP staff wind-down at the end of the day in the gym, playing weekly volley-ball matches and table tennis, and also hold weekly staff BBQs in the compound.

Meeting counterparts in Garowe and INTERPOL progress

This month I visited our Garowe Field Office to discuss our new mandate and to hear the viewpoints of counterparts on our work. I met with the Puntland Minister of Justice, Constitution, Religious Affairs, and Rehabilitation, on continuing support to rule of law, and had positive meetings with the Puntland Criminal Investigations Department (CID) and the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) on our support to forensic investigations and to strengthening the chain of justice.

I am also happy that the very first knowledge exchange meeting between INTERPOL HQ, Lyon, and police officers from the INTERPOL National Central Bureau (NCB) Mogadishu has taken place in Nairobi, with the support of EUCAP. The two-day operational meeting included training on INTERPOL systems, databases and procedures. This a milestone for police development in Somalia as it lays the groundwork for cooperation and information sharing between law enforcement agencies in Somalia and INTERPOL, and between international actors and Somalia on criminal and terrorist networks.

Chris Reynolds, Head of Mission

Three hundred special federal Somali police called “Darwish” graduated from a month long pre-deployment orienta-tion training at a passing out ceremony in Mogadishu in February, where they demonstrated their skills in patrolling, stop and search, and field and weapon awareness.

Human rights, gender awareness and community policing were key parts of the training curriculum alongside police operations and intelligence, combating terrorism, and explosive ordinance awareness and disposal.

Speaking at the graduation ceremony, the Somali Police Commissioner, Major General Abdi Hassan Mohamed, urged those graduating to continue their com-radery, brotherhood and sisterhood in their group and with society.

“The Somali Police Force is undergoing restructuring and reform, and we have personnel at police stations across the federal member states, who include the Darwish forces, Birmad forces, Haram-cad forces, and the Rapid Response Team.You [who are graduating today] have the responsibility to work for the

good standing of your group name and to look after it,” he said.

Chris Reynolds, Head of Mission for EU-CAP Somalia, said EUCAP was honoured to support the training of the Darwish together with its sister EU missions, as part of an integrated approach to secu-rity.

“This work with the Darwish is a key element for the transition from military control of the countryside to civil con-trol of the countryside. These are police first and robust police second –their operation will be embedded in rule of law, and we expect that as security con-ditions allow they will revert to normal policing and will be replaced by local police,” he said.

The orientation training was delivered by the Somali Police Force (SPF) and by the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), with the support of the EU Delegation to Somalia, the European Union Capacity Building Mission in So-malia (EUCAP Somalia), the European Training Mission in Somalia (EUTM So-malia), and by the United Nations Police (UNPOL).

LET US INTRODUCE:

Hugh Moody

“Project management applies knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to ensure we meet the project requirements and the needs of our partners. This is a key component in delivering successful support to security in Somalia,” says former military officer Hugh Moody, who has joined EUCAP field office in Mogadishu as Project Management Officer.

Hugh, who is from the town of Kilrush in Ireland, served with the Irish Defence Forces in the peacekeeping United Nations Interim Force in the Lebanon (UNIFIL) in the 1980s and 1990s, and with the European Union Monitoring Mission in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (EUMM FYRoM) in the 2000s. He then went on to command a border unit in Ireland, after which he was appointed Budgets Manager and, finally, the Regulations Manager for the Irish Defence Forces.

On retirement in 2008, Hugh entered the private sector as General Manager and Operations Director of a large services focused company based in Dublin. During this time, he also pursued a professional interest in employment law and in conflict resolution and mediation, completing studies in both areas.

Hugh has played Gaelic Football at national level for the Irish Defence Forces in Ireland in his younger days, and retains a keen interest in playing sports at home and while in Mogadishu. He also enjoys spending time with his grown up family, and reading up on military history and current affairs.

DID YOU KNOW ABOUT SOMALIA?

By Ahmed Issack Hussein

 

In Somali communities, marriage is between a man and woman who share faith. During courtship, a man can approach the woman that he wishes to marry, but before meeting, the woman has to inform her parents of the incoming visitor before she meets him for a chat. Ordinarily, in today’s Somali families, the parents advise their children on the suitability of the person they wish to marry.

Once the two parties agree on the marriage terms, the elders from the man’s family will approach the woman’s family. While at the woman’s home, the official dowry proposal will be made by the elders of the man’s family. If the proposal is accepted by the representatives of the woman’s family, who are commonly led by her dad, uncles or even grandfather, an imam will be asked to preside over the Nikah –themarriage contract. Here, the man will accept the terms put forward by the woman or her representatives. Once this is done, the parties can decide to live together with or without a wedding ceremony, but wedding is preferred.