MOGADISHU, Somalia – The African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) said it has wrapped up a two-week training of 55 Somali traffic police officers to enhance their capacity to manage traffic flow and ensure safety on public roads.
ATMIS said the intensive training of the trainer course which ended on Friday was held simultaneously in the Somali capital Mogadishu, Jowhar in Hirshabelle State, Baidoa in Southwest State and Kismayo in Jubaland State.
ATMIS Police Commissioner Hillary Sao Kanu who closed the training in Mogadishu urged the officers to share the knowledge acquired to enhance service delivery.
“I believe the participants have gained a lot of knowledge and experience. I want to encourage all of you to take this program seriously,” Kanu said in a statement issued in Mogadishu on Friday.
“You should not keep the knowledge acquired to yourselves but impart it to others who were not fortunate to be part of this program,” she added
Osman Abdullahi Mohamed, the Somali deputy Police Commissioner, said the training will help to transform traffic management in the cities and towns across the country which experience traffic gridlock.
“The skills and knowledge you have acquired will enable you to manage traffic and ensure safety on our roads,” Abdullahi said.
The training covered several topics including the duties of traffic officers, road safety measures, common traffic offenses and causes of accidents, rights of road users, and investigation of accidents.
Samuel Asiedu Okanta, ATMIS police training and development coordinator, said the capacity building training is part of the ongoing preparations to hand over security responsibilities to the Somali security forces.
ATMIS is expected to withdraw 2,000 troops by the end of June and another 3,000 by September in compliance with the UN Security Council Resolutions 2628 and 2670, which mandates ATMIS to hand over security responsibilities in agreed areas to Somali security forces.
