EUTM Somalia (European Union Training Mission in Somalia) – Camp “Jazeera”

In 2014 training activities were transferred to the “Jazeera” training camp near Mogadishu airport. According to Captain Alberto M. Martín, deployed to Mogadishu as one of the instructors of the EUTM Somalia Company Commander Course, the move was “a great improvement because it meant that the Somali soldiers could be trained in their own country.” In addition, it improved communications with and advisory support to institutions related to the Somali Ministry of Defence.

Al-Shabaab, an Islamist militant group linked to Al-Qaeda, is the threat confronting the Somali army and frequently targets it in its terrorist attacks.

Due to the civil war in the country over the last twenty years, Somalia is considered a failed state with weak institutions. Captain Martín explains that this has prevented Somali soldiers from receiving proper military training. “However, most can be considered good fighters due to their experience,” he adds.

The Somali army is equipped with Soviet materiel, such as AK-47 assault rifles and RPG grenade launchers, but its state gives cause for concern. In addition, “there is a worrying lack of intermediate cadres, such as platoon, section and company chiefs,” reveals Captain Martín.

The task of this officer and the other seven Spanish instructors, as well as of the staff at headquarters (around five more people), has been to teach two Company Commander Courses to 60 lieutenants and captains of the Somali army. The Spanish captain stresses that the Somali troops are sometimes reluctant to change their tactical procedures, but “they are particularly interested in issues related to leadership and are keen to learn how to become good military chiefs. They have therefore understood the importance of setting an example to their subordinates and cultivating the feeling of belonging to a group such as a battalion or a company.”

In addition, the Spanish instructors have also taught two courses on administration and logistics at company level and a leadership course to battalion chiefs. For their part, the soldiers fulfilling an advisory role have focused on the creation of the structures and procedures necessary to guarantee a well-functioning armed forces and related institutions.

The EU soldiers are housed in containers fitted out as rooms forming “a kind of hotel” in the facilities at Mogadishu airport. They share that space with personnel from the different embassies and with members of the African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM). It is considered the safest place in the country – and they are working very hard so that it is not the only one.