STORY: Senior AMISOM military officers meet to review

operations
DURATION: 3:19
SOURCE: AMISOM PUBLIC INFORMATION
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LANGUAGE: ENGLISH NATURAL SOUND
DATELINE: 19/OCTOBER/2018, MOGADISHU, SOMALIA

SHOT LIST:

1. Wide shot, the Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union
Commission (SRCC) for Somalia, Ambassador Francisco Madeira, arrives for the
opening of the pre-CONOPS sector commanders' meeting
2. Med shot, AMISOM sector commanders attend the opening of pre-CONOPS sector
commanders' meeting
3. Close up shot, Col. Okolong representing the AMISOM sector one commander at
the meeting
4. Wide shot, military officers at the meeting
5. Close up shot, a senior military officer listening at the meeting
6. Med shot, SRCC Ambassador Francisco Madeira and Lt. Gen. Jim Beesigye
Owoyesigire, AMISOM Force Commander listening
7. Wide shot, AMISOM sector commanders attending the workshop
8. Med shot, sector 3 commander listening
9. Close up shot, Lt. Col. Omwega, AMISOM force spokesperson taking notes
10. Med shot, Lt. Col. Omwega, AMISOM Force Spokesperson taking notes
11. Med shot, Christine Alalo, Acting AMISOM Police Commissioner and listening
12. Med shot, senior military officers attending
17. SOUNDBITE: (English) Lt. Gen. Jim Beesigye Owoyesigire, AMISOM Force
Commander
“This conference provides us with the opportunity to articulate and argue out our
ideas and compare our thoughts with a view to harmonize our positions before the
main CONOPs conference due later this month,”

18. Wide shot, senior military officers at the meeting

19. Med shot, senior military officers listening at the opening
20. SOUNDBITE: (English) Lt. Gen. Jim Beesigye Owoyesigire, AMISOM Force
Commander
“This is a unique opportunity for us all to gather together to talk and to analyze what
is going on in the battlefield.”
21. Wide shot, SRCC Ambassador Francisco Madeira addressing the sector
commanders
22. Close up shot, sector 4 commander listening
23. Med shot, Lt. Gen. Jim Beesigye Owoyesigire, AMISOM Force Commander and
Maj. Gen. Tai Gituai, Deputy Force Commander Plans and Operations listening
24. Close up shot, a senior officer taking notes
25. Med shot, a senior officer taking notes
26. Med shot, military officers listening
27. SOUNDBITE: (English) Ambassador Francisco Madeira, Special Representative of
the Chairperson of the African Union Commission for Somalia
“This meeting is for you to share your views with your leaders so that we can capture
on paper what you can realistically deliver, but not just what you can deliver, but also
what you are going to do to be able to deliver what is expected of us.”

28. Pan shot, senior military officers listening at the meeting

29. SOUNDBITE: (English) Ambassador Francisco Madeira, Special Representative of
the Chairperson of African Union Commission for Somalia
“The concept of transition is critical but we cannot transition by just abandoning the
Somalis. The only way to transition is to strengthen security and then leave. (In other
words) strengthen the security, have the capacity of the Somalis elevated to
acceptable level, handover the security responsibility and then leave.”

30. Med shot, Lt. Gen. Jim Beesigye Owoyesigire, AMISOM Force Commander and
Maj. Gen. Tai Gituai, Deputy Force Commander Plans and Operations at the meeting
31. Med shot, SRCC Ambassador Francisco Madeira speaking at the meeting
32. Close up shot, senior officers taking notes
33. Wide shot, sector commanders attending a pre-CONOPs meeting

STORY

Senior AMISOM military officers meet to review operations

Mogadishu, 19 October 2018 - Senior military officers from the African Union
Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) are meeting in Mogadishu to review security
operations in the Horn of Africa country, ahead of an upcoming Concept of
Operations (CONOPs) conference, to be held later this month. The CONOPs guides all
AMISOM’s military operations.

The meeting, will explore ways of enhancing the Mission’s operations during the
transition period, as it prepares to hand over the national security responsibility to
the Somali security forces.

Resolutions from the pre-CONOPs review meeting will form part of the agenda of the
actual conference, due later in the month.

“This conference provides us with the opportunity to articulate and argue out our
ideas and compare our thoughts with a view to harmonize our positions before the
main CONOPs conference due later this month,” AMISOM Force Commander, Lt. Gen.
Jim Beesigye Owoyesigire, said on Friday, during the official opening of the meeting.

Gen. Owoyesigire noted that the meeting is taking place at crucial moment, when
AMISOM is implementing a transition plan, which had been discussed and agreed
upon by the AU Mission, the UN, the Federal Government of Somalia and
development partners.

“This is a unique opportunity for us to come together to discuss and analyze what is
going on in the field and we thank you, for the good work you have been doing in the
field,” the Force Commander told the military Commanders from all the sectorized
regions under AMISOM.

He noted that despite operating in an extremely difficult and challenging

environment, the officers have managed to carry out regular operations against Al-
Shabaab and liberated more areas from militants’ control.

The Force Commander’s sentiments were echoed by the African Union Special
Representative for Somalia, Ambassador Francisco Madeira, who reiterated the
Mission’s commitment to implementing the Transition Plan.

Ambassador Madeira urged the sector commanders to come up with robust,

effective and realistic plans, that would completely neutralize and degrade Al-
Shabaab.

“The meeting is for you to share not only what you can realistically deliver; but also,
how we will deliver what is expected of us,” Madeira said.

As part of the implementation of the Transition Plan, the Head of AMISOM noted,
that the AU Mission has been tasked to secure remaining few areas under Al-
Shabaab, including Main Supply Routes.

He said the task had necessitated the AU Mission to reconfigure itself, so as to

continue being effective in pursuit of its mandate.

“The only way to transition is to strengthen security and have the capacity of the
Somalis elevated to acceptable level, then handover the security responsibility
before exiting,” he observed.

END.