STORY: Somalia’s electoral commissioners undergo training

on electoral security
DURATION: 4:51
SOURCE: AMISOM PUBLIC INFORMATION
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CREDIT REQUIRED: AMISOM PUBLIC INFORMATION
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH NATURAL SOUND
DATELINE: 18/JUNE/2019, KAMPALA, UGANDA

SHOT LIST:

1. Wide shot, participants attending workshop on electoral security and dispute

resolution in the meeting hall
2. Med shot, a facilitator speaking to participants during the training
3. Med shot, a facilitator speaking to participants
4. Wide shot, a facilitator speaking to participants
5. Med shot, a facilitator speaking at the workshop
6. Close up shot, Chairperson of the Electoral Commission of Uganda, Justice Simon
Byabakama taking notes
7. SOUNDBITE: (English) Justice Simon Byabakama, Chairperson of the Electoral
Commission of Uganda
“The entire process of organising and conducting elections is a multi-stakeholder
responsibility requiring that each one renders total support and cooperation to all
the efforts in place to realise the desired goal. Successful elections in general provide
a foundation on which all the other major sectors like the economy, social progress
and security can base their footing to realise progressive development. I therefore
commend this proactive and inclusive practice by the major stakeholders in Somalia
to strategise and learn together for a better and secure country where everyone can
once again thrive. With such initiatives it will not take very long to defeat or win over
all the negative forces and challenges that befell the country and its people.”

8. Med shot, Paul Bukenya, Public Relations Officer, Uganda Electoral commission
listening
9. Med shot, Justice Simon Byabakama, Chairperson of the Electoral Commission of
Uganda taking notes
10. Close up shot, a participant taking notes
11. Med shot, participants listening to the trainer
12. Close up shot, Hajji Ssebirumbi Kisinziggo, AMISOM Senior Political Officer
speaking at the meeting
13. Wide shot, participants listening to the trainer
14. SOUNDBITE: (English) Hajji Ssebirumbi Kisinziggo, AMISOM Senior Political
Officer
“The AU Peace and Security Council that met in May and the UN Security Council
that met again at the end of May mandated us to work with the Federal Government
of Somalia and the United Nations to support the electoral security and the process
in order to achieve a peaceful, free and fair elections in Somalia. So we are here to
provide the necessary background to generate ideas for an electoral strategy and an
electoral dispute resolution so that we can have peaceful and fair elections as we
support our brothers in Somalia.”

15. Med shot, a participant listens to the facilitator

16. Close up shot, participants listening to the facilitator
17. Close up shot, a participant listening
18. Med shot, Halima Ismail Ibrahim, Chairperson of the National Independent
Electoral Commission of Somalia (NIEC) taking notes
19. SOUNDBITE: (English) Halima Ismail Ibrahim, Chairperson of the National
Independent Electoral Commission of Somalia
“It is very important because without security you cannot do election. We are now
doing the verification of the voter registration centres and we want that our security
forces to sit together and see whether it is safe or not safe. They have to direct us as
NIEC where to go and without that election cannot happen.”

20. Med shot, participants listening

21. Close up shot, a participant listening
22. Med shot, participants typing on the computer
23. Close up shot, a participant listening
24. SOUNDBITE: (English) Guy Cyrille Tapoko, Head of African Union Commission
Department of Political Affairs
“The success of Somalia will be the success of Africa and will ultimately contribute to
our continental aspiration to the achievement of the ‘Agenda 2063, The Africa We
Want’.”

25. Med shot, participants taking notes

26. Med shot, participants listening
27. Close up shot, a participant listening
28. Wide shot, participants attending the workshop
29. Med shot, participants at the workshop
30. Close up shot, participants reading through documents
31. Close up shot, participants listening
32. Wide shot, participants attending the workshop
33. Med shot, a facilitator speaking
34. Wide shot, Justice Simon Byabakama, Chairperson of the Electoral Commission
of Uganda at the workshop

Somalia’s electoral officials undergo training on electoral security

Kampala, 18 June 2019 - To ensure Somalia is fully prepared for ‘one-person one-
vote’ universal elections in 2020/2021, the African Union Mission in Somalia
(AMISOM) has organised a four-day workshop on electoral security and dispute
resolution for senior government officials involved in election planning and
management.

The workshop, being held in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, is aimed at developing a
common strategy on how to organise and manage the country’s next elections to
ensure they are peaceful, credible and inclusive.

Uganda’s Electoral Commission Chairman, Justice Simon Byabakama, who opened the
workshop, yesterday, emphasised the importance of security in holding successful
elections that were peaceful and credible.

Justice Byabakama said the electorates must be secured to enable them to exercise
their right to vote.

“The entire process of organising and conducting elections is a multi-stakeholder

responsibility requiring that each one renders total support and cooperation to all the
efforts in place to realise the desired goal,” he observed.

Somalia plans to hold the next elections through universal adult suffrage, unlike the
previous ones, which were based on the clan system. AMISOM is currently helping
Somalia develop capacity by training and providing technical support to the National
Independent Electoral Commission of Somalia (NIEC) and other critical government
agencies in election planning and management.

Justice Byabakama commended Somalia for its proactive approach in strategising for
the next elections and urged those involved to continue working together to
overcome challenges associated with the complex exercise.

The NIEC chairperson, Halima Ismail Ibrahim, echoed the sentiments, saying security
will be a major factor in Somalia’s quest to achieve universal adult suffrage in the next
elections.
Ms. Ibrahim observed that the electoral commission was currently verifying voter
registration centres, adding that the country’s security forces will have a major role to
play in securing the voting points.

“We are undertaking the verification of voter registration centres and we want our
security officials to sit together and see whether the areas are safe. They have to give
us direction because without security it will be difficult for elections to take place,”
she noted.

In his welcoming remarks, the head of the African Union Commission Department of
Political Affairs, Guy Cyrille Tapoko, reassured Somalia’s electoral commission of the
African Union’s continued support as the country prepares for the 2020/2021
elections.

“The success of Somalia will be the success of Africa and will ultimately contribute to
our continental aspiration of achieving Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want,” said Mr.
Tapoko.

Agenda 2063 is a blueprint and masterplan for transforming the continent into a
future global powerhouse to realise inclusive and sustainable development

AMISOM Senior Political Officer, Hajji Ssebirumbi, said the workshop is part of the
African Union’s capacity building and technical support to the Federal Government of
Somalia (FGS) to help it achieve universal adult suffrage in 2020/2021, in accordance
with the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance.

Mr. Ssebirumbi said the AU Peace and Security Council and the UN Security Council
mandated AMISOM to work with the FGS and the United Nations to help Somalia
achieve peaceful, free and fair elections.

During the four days, participants will discuss security and operational challenges that
might impede the holding of peaceful, free and fair elections in 2020/21. In addition,
the participants will be taken through different electoral systems in Africa and how
they resolve disputes.

This is the fourth workshop that African Union is supporting in the build-up towards
achieving universal adult suffrage, which will be the first elections of this kind since
1969.

ENDS