The celebration of Somali Police Forces which occurred in General Kahiye Police Training Center.
Somalia’s president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud attended
the ceremony, vowing his government would strive to prioritize the welfare of
the Somali police. He received a honorary salute from the lead commander.
Units of the
Somali armed marched through Mogadishu in a show of force in a country which is
recovering from decades of war.
"The police force is recovering, and that should
encourage us to work together towards its improvement so that they can serve
better.” Mr. Mohamud told the dignitaries and the city residents at the
academy.
The chief of
the Somali Police Force Gen. Mohamed Sheikh described the day as a
‘magnificent’, hailing police forces who he said continue to main the country’s
security despite security challenges from the Al-Qaeda linked Al-Shabab group
which continues attacks across Somalia.
Despite security challenges, Somalia continues to
rebuild its army. However, according to the International Crisis Group,
powerful vested interests and corrupt commanders are the largest obstacles in
the way of reforming the army.
Unlike 1980s when soldiers marched through the
peaceful city streets, Sunday’s ceremony was held under tight security inside a
police academy with troops from African Union and Somali police put large parts
of the town on lockdown to prevent militants’ attacks.
Attempts to improve the military's equipment were
impeded by allegations that some of those arms were sold by officers. The ICG
also suggested that AMISOM's efforts at assisting in formalizing the
Military’s structure and providing training to the
estimated 8,000 SNA soldiers were problematic. Resistance reportedly continued
to the establishment of an effective chain of command, logical military
ormations and a credible troop roster.
The celebration of Somali Police Forces which occurred in General Kahiye Police Training Center.
The countdown begins in the early hours of Sunday as hundreds of soldiers in brightly colored uniform queued and immediately started marching at a police academy to mark their inaugural flag-blessing day: police day.