A team of 24 troops from Uganda, part of the African Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) received vessel protection training from French and Estonian troops in Mombasa onboard FS FLOREAL, which is operating as part of the EU NAVFOR.
The training was planned as part of ongoing improvements in capability and to enhance AMISOMs drills in response to a potential pirate attack; the AMISOM team will form a cohort of troops who may embark on the M/V PETRA which provides logistic support for AMISOM shipping en-route between Mombasa and Mogadishu. Training in the pirates’ modus operandi, tactics, rules of engagement, unarmed combat and detention of suspects were carried out onboard the FS FLOREAL before moving to the M/V PETRA for practical drills. The training culminated with the presentation of certificates by the Commanding Officer, Commander Christophe Pasco , to the AMISOM team. The training will allow significant flexibility in the planning for World Food Programme and AMISOM escorts and if the occasion arises, these troops will be able to operate autonomously.
EU NAVFOR conducts counter-piracy in the Indian Ocean and is responsible for the protection of World Food Program ships carrying humanitarian aid for the people of Somalia and the logistic support vessels of the African Union troops conducting Peace Support Operations in Somalia. Additionally, EU NAVFOR monitors fishing activity off the coast of Somalia.
[mappress] Naval Today Staff, December 14, 2011; Image: eunavfor