AMISOM wraps up consultative media conference on Somalia

Author: Adeyemi Paul - SEM

The African Union Mission for Somalia (AMISOM) wrapped up its Consultative Media Conference at the Nyali International Beach Hotel, Mombasa, Kenya on the 9 April-10 April. The conference covered a range of topics on how the media and AMISOM should find a common ground in working together in order to achieve a stable and proactive state of Somalia.  (Photo: Ambassador Boubacar Gaoussou Diarra Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission for Somalia)

As we may all be aware, the Somalia crisis has been ongoing for as long as 20 years and yet the struggle continues.

The main theme of the conference was: How can the African Union Mission for Somalia (AMISOM) and the Media work together in implementing the peace process for Somalia?

A cross section of attendees at the conference

During the conference, media practitioners from all points across Africa, North, West, East, and South, in collaboration with AMISOM, discussed the common ground on how to work together collectively.

Some of the issues/topics of discussion were:

• How better to sensitize Troop Contributing Countries (TCC).
• The roles TCC’s, AMISOM, and TFG play for the better information and effective coordination.
• The media and partners’ expectations in the context of Somali Public Information.
• Access to reliable information in the Somali context.

AMISOM has been supporting the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and the peacekeeping efforts in Somalia. Few countries have been contributing troops for the mission, which had led to TFG gaining some ground in Mogadishu. However, the good work of AMISOM has not been properly reported in Africa. At this conference, all AMISOM components briefed the media about key activities (successes, challenges, and ways forward). The meeting held group sessions on how the media can better engage to explain the mission to the African people.Continued