Two hundred Somali police officers have left for Djibouti for a three-month training course, the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) announced Thursday (January 17th).

The 184 men and 16 women will receive specialised training in public order management, funded by the Italian government and conducted jointly by AMISOM and Italian police forces.

AMISOM Police Commissioner Charles Makono and Somali Minister of State for Internal Security Mahdi Mahamud Ali saw the officers off at Mogadishu's Aden Adde International Airport.

"The training that you will receive will fill a key gap in the Somali police force after years of civil war and armed conflict," Makono said. "The course will improve the skills and capability of the Somali police force in dealing with armed criminals and insurgents to protect civilians and enforce the rule of law on your own."

AMISOM has organised a series of training programmes for Somali forces to resume control under the new government, including workshops for Somali soldiers and capacity-building exercises for civil servants.