The African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) has urged all stakeholders and local communities to work together to combat the threat of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) (IEDs).
The threat presented by IEDs, according to ATMIS Force Commander Diomede Ndegeya, requires the mission and its allies to devise creative counter-IED techniques.
“To mitigate the IED threat will require the military actors involving the Somali authorities and working with communities, to strengthen governance, and support stabilization efforts,” he said in a statement issued on Thursday evening following the conclusion of a three-day conference in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia.
Senior officials from ATMIS, the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS), and other important stakeholders attended the meeting, which took stock of current IED countermeasures in order to build a comprehensive IED threat reduction plan.
Ndegeya stated that the mission’s actions and operations needed to be evaluated in order to identify answers to the threat presented by explosive devices.
Despite UNMAS’ attempts to improve the mission’s counter-IED capacity through training, mentorship, and material assistance, he added, IEDs remain a serious concern.
“Our ability to come up with solutions and thereby enhance our counter-IED capability is critical to the advancement of the mission’s mandate,” Ndegeya said.
