Forces of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) are committed to complying with international Human Rights law, the Mission’s head Ambassador Francisco Madeira affirmed Tuesday.
Madeira, the Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission (SRCC) in Somalia, was speaking at the opening of a two-day workshop on Human Rights and Due Diligence Policy (HRDDP) held in Mogadishu.
Ambassador Madeira said upholding human rights remains central to the operations of the regional peacekeeping force and added that AMISOM has a robust mechanism to investigate any human rights violations.
Citing last week’s killing of four civilians in Bula Marer in the Lower Shabelle region of Somalia, the SRCC said preliminary reports indicated that prior to the incident, a car driven by civilians had defied warnings by AMISOM troops manning a roadblock in the same area to stop only to be found loaded with IEDs, AK 47 rifles, mobile phones and uniforms.
In the Bula Marer incident, the soldiers, who were manning a roadblock in an operation to neutralize suspected Al-Shabaab insurgents in the area, opened fire on a speeding vehicle after it failed to adhere to repeated warnings to stop, killing its four occupants.
The SRCC said a board of inquiry had been set up to handle all incidents involving AMISOM troops, police and the Somali population.
“AMISOM is open to scrutiny. We want to be as transparent as possible. If we don’t respect human rights and human life, what will be the difference between us (AMISOM) and Al-Shabaab?” he said.
The Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General (DSRSG), Raisedon Zenenga, who was also present at the ceremony, said the workshop was aimed at deepening an understanding of human rights issues and to exchange views.
“HRDDP is a tool of cooperation to help AMISOM reduce acts of human rights violations,” Zenenga said, noting that that the policy applied to both military and police operations.
Zenenga, who was joined by other UN and Somali officials, congratulated AMISOM for its sacrifices in Somalia which had seen the country make progressive steps in setting up government structures that had hitherto collapsed.
The Ambassador also stated that AMISOM in collaboration with the various United Nations agencies, is committed to helping Somalia develop legislation on human rights.
Source: AMISOM Press Release
