Brigadier General Gerald Aherne, the new commander of the European Union Training Mission for Somalia, (EUTM Somalia), told a news conference in Brussels on Wednesday (February 27th) that the European Union is preparing to transfer part of its training mission of Somali security forces from Uganda to Mogadishu.

He stressed that three conditions had to be fulfilled first: protection for EUTM personnel to work safely, provision of adequate medical services and real life support facilities to work in Mogadishu. He said he was confident these conditions would be met shortly.

Brigadier General Aherne presented a draft plan for EUTM Somalia's new mandate, to run from February this year to March 2015, to the EU Political and Security committee and to the EU military committee in Brussels this week. EUTM Somalia was launched in 2010 and has trained some 3,000 Somali troops.