AMISOM Force Commander leads electoral assessment team to Cadaado, Galmudug state to evaluate electoral preparedness

MOGADISHU – AMISOM Force Commander Lt. Gen. Osman Noor Soubagleh led a team of security officials on a security assessment mission in Cadaado, Galmudug state, to assess the state’s preparedness for the forthcoming electoral process.

The visit on Thursday, also aimed at evaluating the security priorities in the state and coming up with a plan on how AMISOM and Somali security forces can work together to guarantee safety of residents, as they participate in the electoral process.

The team comprising of members of AMISOM Elections Security Task Force, was accompanied by their counterparts from the Somali National Security Forces, and the Federal Indirect Election Implementation Team (FIEIT).

The team made an appraisal of the capabilities and level of preparedness of the Galmudug security forces and its ability to implement the National Security Plan for the 2016 Electoral Process.

The team visited the Somali National Army training camp and the Somali Police Force training ground in Cadaado. They also visited the electoral centre, and the Galmudug headquarters of the National Intelligence Service Agency (NISA).

“On behalf of the people of Galmudug, I wish to thank the African Union for the security support to the people of Somalia and the great work it is doing in degrading Al-Shabaab. AMISOM is providing security for the electoral process to happen successfully and we are grateful for that. In Galmudug we look up to AMISOM for security and together with the Somali security forces we will work hand in hand with them to provide an environment where Somalis can participate in the electoral process without any fear,” the Vice President of Galmudug State
H.E Mohamed Hashi Abdi said.

The team will compile a report and submit it to the Head of AMISOM Ambassador Francisco Caetano Madeira for further action.

Galmudug is one of the federal regional administrations of Somalia, formed in June 2015. However, AMISOM forces do not have a presence in Cadaado, which is the capital of the regional administration.