Sunday December 2, 2018
Chris Phiri
Zambia’s African Mission in Somalia (AMISON) representative Chief Inspector Cecilia Kabube says Zambians should value peace as war has a devastating effect on the general citizenry.
Inspector Kabube led a night patrol in Mogadishu whee journalists were also taken on a familiarization of the security situation in Somalia.
Her platoon comprise forces from Somalia, Ghana,Seire Leone ,Kenya among others.
The journalists are in Somalia on a six day assignment to get an appreciation of the war situation in Somalia.
Inspector Kabube shed light on the terror acts of the world infamous El Shabab group that inducts child soldiers.
“The situation is bad here, you can’t trust anyone ,some individuals even masquerade as police officers and kill innocent people .These terrorists have similar protected vehicles like ours locally known as the Mambas so it is difficult to trust anyone we don’t trust police officers and they also don’t trust us unless the ones that we have worked with on a regular basis”, She had said.
Inspector Kabube is the team leader for Side Four group whose mandate is mentoring, advising ,reporting and following up on the activities of Somali Police on their professional standards and Human rights obligations.
She has been in Mogadishu for more than one year.
“What keeps us going is prayer which is a norm for officers to commit themselves in before and after their operations as death is a normal thing , no place here in Mogadishu is safe as safety here is compromised, guns can be fired at any time while bombs can also blast at any given time,” Kabube said.
“People here don’t fear death,a bomb may blast, kills people and others will continue with their activities at times even run to where a bomb has blasts.”
However Inspector Kabube has revealed that from the time she joined the mission there has been no record of a Zambian Police officer who died from the bomb blasts or gun shots.
A total of 31 Zambian Police personnel are attached to the Somalia African Mission in Mogadishu and of the number 20 are male while 11 are female.
These Zambian contingents live in AMISON safe zones were no individual is allowed to move after 22:00 hours at night expect for officers who are on night patrols.
And during the night patrol journalists who were dressed in protective body colts or body arm with protective head gears and under the protection of the officers who transported them to General Kaye and old parliament building to witness the night life in Mogadishu.