The UK’s Minister for the Armed Forces has concluded a visit to
Somalia and Kenya, meeting senior leaders and defence officials
for discussions on strengthening regional defence cooperation and
observing exercising troops.
Visiting Mogadishu, the Armed Forces Minister met with Somali
President His Excellency Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, to reaffirm the
UK’s commitment to supporting Somalia’s long-term security. He
also visited British soldiers delivering training to the Somali
Security Forces and discussed the African Union Transition
Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) with the UN Special Representative to
the Secretary General. ATMIS has supported the drawdown of
African Union peacekeeping operations in Somalia, to transition
to the Somali national armed forces.
The UK has been working closely with the Federal Government of
Somalia in its efforts to counter the extremist group al-Shabaab
and the Minister reiterated the UK’s enduring support to tackling
the threat posed by the group.
The Minister continued his visit by conducting meetings in Kenya,
including with Cabinet Secretary for Defence Aden Duale. They
discussed an ambitious vision for strengthening the defence
partnership, enhancing Kenyan military capacity and promoting
regional peace through the UK and Kenya’s Defence Cooperation
Agreement.
Minister for the Armed Forces, , said:
Our defence relationships in Africa are paramount to supporting
the security and safety of the region. In a more dangerous world,
it is critical we support our partners in developing their
capabilities, through training and engagement between our armed
forces, in order to respond to threats.
In my meetings with the President of Somalia and Kenyan Cabinet
Secretary for Defence, I emphasised the UK’s enduring interest in
deepening our defence relationships and discussed ways in which
we can deepen our support.
Jointly with the US and Kenya, the UK also supports the
development and operation of the Counter Insurgency Counter
Terrorism and Stabilisation Operations Centre project (CITSO),
which is due to commence delivery of training later this year.
The Minister visited the project, which will build on
international efforts to improve regional security, through a
multi-agency approach to joint training.
Minister Heappey also attended a US-led and UK supported regional
training exercise including troops from across East Africa
conducting readiness training and preparing for regional and
international missions. He also visited a joint training exercise
between UK trained Kenya Marines and the Royal Marines.
