Somalia II
Brothers in Arms, October 2011
The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) is a regional peacekeeping mission set up by African Union, and supported by the United Nations. The first batch of peacekeepers deployed on 6th March, 2007 and currently 9,000 peacekeepers from Uganda and Burundi , are operating in Mogadishu.
The principal aim of AMISOM is to provide support for Somalia’s Transitory Federal Institutions (TFI’s) in their stabilization efforts and in the pursuit of political dialogue and of reconciliation. AMISOM is also mandated to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid and to create the necessary conditions for reconciliation and sustainable development in Somalia.
This selection of photographs were taken after four trips where Kate spent time embedded with soldiers from AMISOM. They went on exhibit in the National Museum of Nairobi in October, 2011.
AMISOM soldiers man positions in a house in the Sigaale District of Mogadishu soon after the house was seized from al-Shabaab control.
A soldier from Burundi rests on his bed in a bunker on the frontline while his colleague mans a gun position on the frontline in the Sigaale District of Mogadishu.- An empty road leading to the frontline in Mogadishu. Buildings along the route have been abandoned by civilians and are instead lived and fought in by AMISOM forces as they advance, building by building, street by street into al-Shabaab-held areas.
- Women and children stand in a street that has recently been seized by AMISOM troops from the control of al-Shabaab in the Sigaale District of Mogadishu. As progress on the frontline continued AMISOM encouraged civilians to return to their homes once the areas had been cleared of al-Shabaab booby traps and the areas secured.
- Burundian soldiers provide fire support from a rooftop position at the old Military Academy, in Mogadishu, Somalia. AMISOM forces were providing fire support to the soldiers of Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and other Burundian soldiers as they seized control of key positions from al-Shabaab control. The fighting was part of a major push in Mogadishu by TFG and AMISOM force against the militants after the discovery of a trench network used by militants to move supplies and fighters around the capital.
- Burundian soldiers provide fire support from a rooftop position at the old Military Academy, in Mogadishu, Somalia. AMISOM forces were providing fire support to the soldiers of Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and other Burundian soldiers as they seized control of key positions from al-Shabaab control. The fighting was part of a major push in Mogadishu by TFG and AMISOM force against the militants after the discovery of a trench network used by militants to move supplies and fighters around the capital.
- Women wait with their children to see a doctor in the AMISOM Out Patients Department (OPD) in the dilapidated Aruba Hotel near Mogadishu Seaport. AMISOM are the only organization running an Out Patients Department in this area of the city and the AMISOM doctors and medics see over two thousand patients a week.
- A mother watches her child in the emergency medical centre in the Burundi Contingent Headquarters in the former University in Mogadishu. The child was burnt when the house they were sheltering in was bombed.
- AMISOM soldiers on patrol in the Sigaale District of Mogadishu, an area they have just seized from the control of al Shabaab.
- AMISOM soldiers advance through ruined buildings (recently seized from al-Shabaab control) in the Sigaale District of Mogadishu. The then commander of the AMISOM forces, Major General Mugisha, accompanied by Colonel Ondoga, the commander of the Ugandan Contingent, were making a tour of the frontline following heavy fighting the previous evening.
- An AMISOM soldier keeps watch over the Old Seaport from a position in the derelict Aruba Hotel in Mogadishu. Mogadishu leads Somalia in port traffic and still serves as a major seaport. Daily shipments bring in vehicles, foodstuffs and electronic goods, and the revenue generated from port taxes is a significant source of income for the new government. AMISOM assists in securing the port.
- Ugandan Marines launch their boat in the sea near Mogadishu Airport. AMISOM forces patrol the shoreline every time a flight is due to land as well as securing the Mogadishu coastline against pirate or insurgent attacks from the sea. Mogadishu leads Somalia in port traffic and still serves as a major seaport. Daily shipments bring in vehicles, foodstuffs and electronic goods, and the revenue generated from port taxes is a significant source of income for the new government. AMISOM assists in securing the port.
- A child is treated for malnutrition at the medical centre established for the treatment of civilians in the Burundi Contingent Headquarters in the former University of Mogadishu. Part of AMISOM’s mandate is to facilitate humanitarian assistance. This means protecting physical stocks of aid in the seaport, the airport and elsewhere as well as providing safe routes to and from distribution sites in the city.
- An AMISOM soldier walks past stacked grains sacks in a warehouse at the Seaport in Mogadishu. Part of AMISOM’s mandate is to facilitate humanitarian assistance. This means protecting physical stocks of aid in the seaport, the airport and elsewhere as well as providing safe routes to and from distribution sites in the city.
- Burundian soldiers provide fire support from a rooftop position at the old Military Academy, in Mogadishu, Somalia. AMISOM forces were providing fire support to the soldiers of Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and other Burundian soldiers as they seized control of key positions from al-Shabaab control. The fighting was part of a major push in Mogadishu by TFG and AMISOM force against the militants after the discovery of a trench network used by militants to move supplies and fighters around the capital. AMISOM and TFG forces fought a series of decisive engagements to free key points in the city from al-Shabaab and bring stability to the city. Soon after these photographs were taken, al-Shabaab abandoned virtually all of its positions in Mogadishu and either retreated to strongholds to the south or melted into the population with the intention of conducting an Iraq- or Afghanistan-style campaign of roadside bombs, suicide attacks and assassinations.
- An AMISOM soldier reloads a machinegun belt on a rooftop during a firefight near the old Military Academy in Mogadishu. AMISOM forces were providing fire support to the soldiers of Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and other Burundian soldiers as they seized control of key positions from al-Shabaab control.
- A Burundian peace-keeper, injured in gun battle between African Union Soldiers and al-Shabaab insurgents recovers in an emergency medical facility at the old Military Academy in Mogadishu. The African Union peace-keepers were supporting Transitional Federal Government (TFG) soldiers as they attempted to wrest key parts of the city from al-Shabaab control.
- A Ugandan doctor working for AMISOM administers drugs in a temporary clinic set up to provide healthcare for defecting Al Shabaab fighters and their families.AMISOM doctors and medics work with limited resources and in difficult conditions to provide one of the few sources of free medical assistance for the population of Mogadishu, sometimes seeing over 2000 patients per day.
- Orange plastic shelters, used as temporary accommodation by displaced people, sprawl into the distance beneath the protecting body of an AMISOM machine-gun in the Badbado Camp in Mogadishu. The camp was established for those who have arrived in Mogadishu from other parts of Somalia, mostly fleeing from a combination of prolonged drought or insurgent violence. The ongoing humanitarian crisis in Somalia threatens the lives of up to 750,000 Somalis. AMISOM’s mandated role of securing access for humanitarian aid is an essential part of the attempt to control this unfolding tragedy.
- Families queue for food at a feeding point in Badbado camp. The camp houses nearly 50,000 people and was established to cater for families displaced from Somalia’s rural areas which have suffered most as a result of the drought.
- Women and children collect water provided by Ugandan troops at a camp for people displaced by drought. Somalia is experiencing the worst drought in 60 years, with more than 10 million people threatened by starvation because of a lack of rain and longer term damage to the country’s infrastructure. Tens of thousands of people have travelled to Mogadishu in search of food and water: AMISOM has been one of primary sources of humanitarian aid since the crisis started.
- AMISOM soldiers stand next to their armored vehicles before heading out on patrol through the streets of Mogadishu. Soldiers patrol constantly as part of the AMISOM mandate to assist in the maintenance of peace and stability in government controlled areas of the city.
- Soldiers hold a discussion in front of the Aruba Hotel, now an AMISOM command centre, near Mogadishu Seaport. The continuing operation of the port is essential to the stabilisation of the city since most of the of humanitarian aid passes through it.
- The then AMISOM Force Commander, Major General Nathan Mugisha is shown changes to the frontline inside a building that has recently been captured from al-Shabaab in the Sigaale District of Mogadishu. Major General Mugisha, accompanied by Colonel Ondoga, the commander of the Ugandan Contingent, were making a tour of the frontline following heavy fighting the previous night.
