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explosive devices (IEDs) are all too frequent. This is in keeping with the stated Al Shaabab intent to engage<br />
in asymmetrical warfare following withdrawal from most of the city. The area of the international airport<br />
(MIA) is relatively secure and includes UNMAS and Bancroft Security Contractor compounds. Outside<br />
MIA movement must be in armoured vehicles. The detritus of conflict is everywhere. The UN Mine Action<br />
Service (UNMAS) seeks to remove mines and UXBs,<br />
while spent rounds from twenty years of conflict litter<br />
the ground, including the beaches. Despite these<br />
difficult conditions, the TFG and AMISOM remain<br />
committed to fulfilling their part of the preparation<br />
of recruits for <strong>EUTM</strong> <strong>Somalia</strong>. To ensure that our<br />
training syllabi accurately reflect the operational<br />
situation on the ground in Mogadishu, close liaison<br />
with the NSF is necessary. This immediately informs<br />
the MIEDA, CLS, Communications and, most<br />
importantly, the FIBUA training modules. Regular<br />
<strong>EUTM</strong> <strong>Somalia</strong> visits to Mogadishu have resulted in<br />
a better understanding of the <strong>Somalia</strong> AO and of the<br />
main organisations involved including UNMAS and<br />
UNSOA.<br />
Combat fitness. An essential element<br />
of the BTC programme<br />
Despite the unstable security environment, vital signs are again being detected in Mogadishu. Bakarra<br />
Market has again returned vibrantly to life. Traffic jams are a feature of city life in part due to a more stable<br />
environment but also regrettably due to the increase in famine affected IDPs from outside Mogadishu.<br />
The AMISOM high-sided Casper APCs now have a new threat other than IEDs to contend with; DIY power<br />
Spanish trainers guiding the way<br />
lines are being extended across roads by desperate<br />
inhabitants seeking electricity!<br />
Looking Forward<br />
<strong>Somalia</strong> has arrived to a new more hopeful place. The<br />
TFG, extended until Aug 2012 and armed with an<br />
ambitious National Security and Stabilisation Plan, is<br />
attempting to develop a new institutional framework.<br />
Many political concerns remain, not least of which is<br />
the amount of support this delicate governing body<br />
can gain within the many disparate constituencies<br />
that make up the patchwork of Somali society. Twenty<br />
years of mayhem and failed state status is generating<br />
a new determination to succeed. Many extraneous variables remain, all of which have the potential<br />
to derail this fragile process. The clan system, warlord strength with associated militias and the still<br />
potent threat posed by Al Shaabab all have the wherewithal to halt progress toward a reconstructed<br />
<strong>Somalia</strong> with a system of governance that still remains to be finalised. A lingering resentment to the<br />
returning educated diaspora is also evident. Nevertheless, incremental progress is being achieved due<br />
not insignificantly to engagement by the international community, including the EU, on the Somali<br />
problem and bringing significant resources to bear.<br />
One important piece of the Somali security jigsaw is the training of the army and in this area <strong>EUTM</strong><br />
<strong>Somalia</strong> has proactively sought to provide a solution. While the scale of the mission is modest, it still<br />
represents a physical presence on the ground by European soldiers, extending a helping hand to lift<br />
<strong>Somalia</strong> back to its feet. Mogadishu and <strong>Somalia</strong> can enjoy new hope if the international community<br />
remain engaged and provide the support that is so desperately required.
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