Forty personnel from the African Union Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) have completed a two-week course on Psychological and Integrated Influence Operations at the Mission’s Force Headquarters in Mogadishu.
The participants were drawn from AUSSOM Sectors 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, alongside police officers from Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Ghana.
The course aimed to promote knowledge exchange, strengthen information-sharing capabilities and enhance participants’ understanding of psychological and integrated influence operations in support of AUSSOM’s mandate.
Speaking at the closing ceremony, the Acting AUSSOM Force Commander, Brig Gen Jackson Kayanja, said the training provided an important opportunity for personnel from different sectors and countries to share experiences and strengthen collective approaches to information operations.
“The course has provided an important opportunity to share experiences, exchange knowledge and strengthen our collective approaches to information operations,” Brig Gen Kayanja said.
He urged the participants to apply the knowledge and skills acquired in their respective areas of responsibility and share best practices with their colleagues.
Brig Gen Kayanja commended instructors from the United States Joint Special Operations Task Force (JSOTF) for facilitating the training and encouraged continued cooperation between AUSSOM and its international partners.
The Acting AUSSOM Police Commissioner, ACP Dr Samuel Asiedu Okanta, emphasised the importance of information sharing, coordination and engagement with civilian populations.
He described civil cooperation as an important component of both police and military operations, urging personnel to work closely with the Somali population.
The training was facilitated by instructors from JSOTF as part of efforts to strengthen AUSSOM’s capacity in psychological and integrated influence operations.
The closing ceremony was attended by officers from AUSSOM Force Headquarters, including Col Joseph Nduwinana and Col Ahmed Ibrahim, as well as senior and junior officers from AUSSOM Police.
