Hiiraan Online
Monday, December 21, 2015
MOGADISHU (HOL) ---The countdown begins in the early hours of Sunday as hundreds of soldiers in brightly coloured uniform queued and immediately started marching at a police academy to mark their inaugural flag-blessing day: police day.
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.