The African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) said Thursday it has deployed some 160 police officers from Nigeria to support stabilization efforts in the country.
Mohammed Ibrahim, who commands the eleventh Nigerian Formed Police Unit (NFPU) contingent, said the officers will provide support to the Somali Police Force in line with the Somalia Transition Plan.
"These officers are well-trained and disciplined. They will fulfill the mandate that has been assigned to them, and will not fail their country or the African Union," Ibrahim said in a statement issued in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia.
ATMIS said the incoming contingent that arrived in Mogadishu on Wednesday, replaces another, known as NFPU 10, which recently returned to Nigeria after completing a tour of duty that included helping to provide security during the recent parliamentary and presidential elections.
The ATMIS Police component will have 1,040 personnel, including five Formed Police Units (FPUs), and will maintain that number until December 2024, according to the United Nations Security Council Resolution.
The police officers are expected to support specialized training, advising, and mentorship of the Somali police force including in joint patrols and protection of vital installations.
Ibrahim said the officers will also support the service delivery capacity of the Somali police in the provision of policing services across Somalia and help counter violent extremism and social disorder through community policing, public order management, and other crime prevention strategies.
This is Nigeria's eleventh police unit to be deployed to Somalia since 2012.
The police-contributing countries of ATMIS are Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Uganda, and Zambia, which are deployed across the five operational sectors.
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