Mogadishu - “I am confident that the training we received will have a significant, positive impact on my job performance. Everything we have learned will undoubtedly benefit not just our day-to-day duties but aviation operations in general”.

When Lieutenant Hussein Ahmad Osoble joined Somali National Armed Forces (SNAF) five years ago, he doubted his ability to grasp the complexities of professional air operations and management. However, his doubts have been dispelled after completing a specialised capacity building training program organized by the Aviation Services section of the United Nations Support Office in Somalia (UNSOS).

Lt. Osoble was among a cohort of thirty-six Air Liaison Officers from the Somali Security Forces (SSF), the Somali Civil Aviation Authority (SCAA) and the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), who participated in a week-long training. “I’d like to extend my sincere thanks to the government of Somalia and the Somali National Army (SNA). I’m also truly grateful to UNSOS for offering us this valuable course,”said Lt. Osoble, who is deployed at SNAF’s Communications department in Mogadishu.

“Throughout this course, we gained critical knowledge and practical skills, including how to operate effectively at different Forward Operating Bases (FoBs) used by the military. How to ensure their security, and how to handle both minor and serious injuries. We also learned how to manage personnel traveling on FoB flights and how to handle cargo operations. On top of that, we were trained on how to communicate effectively with pilots, providing them with essential landing information. And that’s just part of what we covered.”

Participants were taught critical air liaison skills to enhance mission management and streamline service delivery within Somalia’s complex aviation landscape in support of peacekeeping and humanitarian missions.

“I thank UNSOS, in collaborations with UPDF-SSF for the training that they have conducted for us and the knowledge that they have passed on to us. I know, when they are gone, we shall be ambassadors for UNSOS because they will have left their footprint here in Somalia and back home, where also we have such an organization of working in aviation”, said Lt. Raymond Tashobya from the AUSSOM Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces (UPDF).

“The training has been good because we have good knowledge, skills are the way we came is not the way we have gone. And to satisfy that we have been given or offered certificates for the future tasks that lie ahead to satisfy what we have learnt, thank you,” added Lt. Tashobya.

“The uniqueness of the program is that it is sustainable. So, what we are doing here basically is we are developing the next generation of aviation professionals,” said Ernest Manzano, UNSOS’ Chief Aviation Services.

“It is a six-day program in which we take 30 students at a time, once or twice a month, depending on the requests from the Somali Security Forces and from the African Union and they go through the entire program, how to conduct safe operations, which includes aviation security, airport firefighting, airport management, flight planning and medical evacuations.’’

Manzano emphasized that the program is “the gold standard for UN missions worldwide”, underscoring UNSOS’ proven track record and commitment to effectively transfer responsibilities to Somali aviation personnel.

“The great thing about it now, we see this new generation of trained Somali Security Forces starting to take over the responsibilities in airport firefighting and aviation security, thanks to this training,” he added, commending the UNSOS leadership for supporting the program.

Since its inception in 2009, the UNSOS Aviation Liaison Officers capacity building course has trained approximately 6,000 aviation professionals, enhancing the capacity of air operations personnel to efficiently plan, coordinate, and monitor air transport activities.

“The objective of this training is to ensure that they understand the way we work and how we do things and for them to be able to do the same things so that once we leave Somalia, we are leaving them in the good hands of professionals who are able to handle aviation operations and safety and of course, aviation security programs,” said Idrissa Ezeh, UNSOS’ Air Operations Assistant.

The training covered a range of key aviation topics, including air transport management, airfield operations, air medical evacuation, basic fire safety, aviation security, and emergency response procedures. It also highlighted the importance of air liaison officers in facilitating effective communication between the mission and aviation service providers.