European Union defence experts are looking at proposals for an ESDP mission to offer support to the coast guards of nations around the Horn of Africa region in an effort to strengthen the battle against Somali pirates. The plan under consideration would involve a civilian mission to develop the coast guard forces of Yemen, Djibouti and Kenya as well as Somalia itself, to provide greater local involvement in efforts to tackle the pirates, who increased attacks on shipping during 2009 despite the beefed up international naval presence in the region.

Somalia’s transitional federal government has been asking for help to set up a coast guard since an international conference last April, but the situation is complicated because much of the county’s coast is controlled by breakaway authorities in the territories of Somaliland and Puntland.

If the plan is adopted, it would complement the EUNAVFOR Atalanta naval mission launched by the EU in December 2008 and the planned EU training mission for Somali security forces, details of which are currently being finalised within the EU’s Political and Security Committee. The PSC is expected to discuss the coast guard capacity building proposal on 15 January, when Somalia will feature strongly at the ambassadors’ regular meeting. EUNAVFOR’s Operational Commander, Rear Admiral Peter Hudson, will attend the meeting.

EUTRA SOMALIA

Planning is well underway for the training mission for Somali forces, which has been given the name EUTRA Somalia. However, the plans have yet to be approved due to continued concerns, notably from the Netherlands and Britain, about how the loyalty of soldiers to the Somali government can be guaranteed after they return to their units in the strife-torn East African nation.

The EU is seeking cooperation from other international players, including the United Nations, the African Union and the United States, to ensure the trained Somali security forces are paid regular salaries and to establish an effective international mechanism to channel funding for the military personal concerned.

The transitional federal government in Somalia signed an agreement with the auditing giant PricewaterhouseCoopers in July 2009 to ensure international aid does not go astray and potential supporters of the training mission are examining if that agreement can help ensure transparency in financial support to the security forces.

The EU has been examining the possible training mission for Somali forces since last summer, seeking to build on an existing French mission run out of Djibouti. The idea is to create core units that can strengthen the government in its battle with Islamist militants and build security in a country devastated by two decades of civil strife. However, many nations are concerned that the troops could switch sides in the fast-moving and multifaceted Somali conflict.

Under the current EU proposal, the training mission will be based in Uganda, since Somalia itself is considered too dangerous to host foreign educators. Uganda – which is a leading contributor to the African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia - is already working to train Somali troops with support from the United States. The EU mission is expected to work with the Ugandans, but provide more specialised training.

Spanish Colonel Ricardo González Elul, who is heading the planning of the mission, led a fact-finding delegation to Uganda in mid-December 2009 to look into the logistics of setting up the headquarters of the mission, which is expected to involve the deployment of around 100 European experts to train up to 2,000 Somali troops. The mission will likely have a liaison office in Brussels and a representation in Nairobi.