STORY: AMISOM SRCC MEDIA BRIEFING

DURATION: 3:30
SOURCE: AU/UN IST
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CREDIT REQUIRED: AMISOM PUBLIC

INFORMATION
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATURAL SOUND
DATELINE: JANUARY 4, 2015, MOGADISHU,
SOMALIA

SHOTLIST
1. Wide shot, Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union
Commission for Somalia (SRCC) and Head of AMISOM Ambassador
Maman S Sidikou, Deputy Special Representative of the Chairperson of the
African Union Commission (DSRCC) for Somalia Lydia Wanyoto, Acting
AMISOM Force Commander Major General Jonathan Kipkemoi Ronno,
AMISOM Assistant Police Commissioner, Benson Oyo-Nyeko take their seats
2. Med shot, AMISOM Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African
Union Commission (SRCC), Maman Sidikou, Acting AMISOM Force
Commander Major General Jonathan Kipkemoi
3. Wide shot, Somali journalists at the media briefing
4. Med shot, Somali journalists at the briefing
5. Medium shot, (SRCC) Amb. Maman Sidikou
6. Medium shot, Acting AMISOM Force Commander Major General Jonathan
Kipkemoi
7. SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE OF THE
CHAIRPERSON OF THE AFRICAN UNION COMMISSION FOR SOMALIA
AND AMISOM HEAD OF MISSION, AMBASSADOR MAMAN S. SIDIKOU:
With the incident on the 25th of December 2014 when Al-Shabaab infiltrated
AMISOM base camp; that unfortunate incident is a reminder to everybody
that we are fighting a terrorist organisation that is desperate to remain
relevant despite the significant losses we have inflicted on them. Clearly, AlShabaab will do anything and everything to attract your attention and media
headlines. For AMISOM and all our partners especially the good people and
the Government of Somalia whom we are here to support, this incident has
only continued to strengthen our resolve to fight Al-Shabaab, so that the
Somali people can enjoy peace and be free from terror.
8. Medium shot, Journalist taking a photo
9. Close up, Camera LCD screen
10. SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE OF THE
CHAIRPERSON OF THE AFRICAN UNION COMMISSION FOR SOMALIA
AND AMISOM HEAD OF MISSION, AMBASSADOR MAMAN S. SIDIKOU:
We know Somalia, we know the glory of this country years back. So I take
this opportunity to appeal to all our Somali brothers and sisters to support the
on going efforts of reconciliation, because a house only stands united when
sons and daughters fight to remain united.
11. Wide shot, Journalists covering the press briefing

12. Med shot, Acting AMISOM Force Commander Major General Jonathan
Kipkemoi listening to the briefing
13. SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE OF THE
CHAIRPERSON OF THE AFRICAN UNION COMMISSION'S (SRCC) FOR
SOMALIA AND AMISOM HEAD OF MISSION, AMBASSADOR MAMAN S.
SIDIKOU:
Let me just quickly tell you about what we may consider as the outlook for
2015. It will be a year in which AMISOM continue to pursue its mandate of
ensuring a safe and secure Somalia. It will also be a year which will be the
homestretch for the 2016 elections and so there will be a lot of thought on
achieving the peace and statebuilding goals outlined in the New Deal
Compact.From a security perspective, the effort to rid Somalia of any
remnants elements of Al-Shabaab shall be pursued relentlessly. But lets not
also forget the people in the newly recovered areas, here we will support the
Federal Government to ensure that this area receives the support they need.
So through you, I would like to appeal to the International community to come
to the aid of these people in theses areas. Their needs are immediate, they
cannot wait until tomorrow. I would like to also assure you that we will
continue to support the capacity building enhancement of the Somali National
army and the Somali National Police. This is at the core of the AMISOM exit
strategy.
14. Wide shot, Journalists standing to leave after the briefing

SCRIPT
The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) has listed its priorities for the year
2015. Top on its list is purging the country of any elements of insecurity, supporting
the political processes and stabilizing newly recovered areas.
The Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission for
Somalia (SRCC) and Head of AMISOM, Ambassador Maman S. Sidikou outlined the
missions forecast for the year at a media briefing in Mogadishu today.
He described 2014 as a momentous year, in which the mission made significant
strides especially on the security sphere, an achievement that has been attested to
by the booming economic activity particularly in the capital Mogadishu and the
vibrant political activity.
The AMISOM head also noted that the year was not without challenges and
mentioned attempted attacks on Villa Somalia and the Parliament as well as the
December 25th attack on the African Union Halane basecamp.
With the incident on the 25th of December 2014 when Al-Shabaab infiltrated
AMISOM base camp; that unfortunate incident is a reminder to everybody that we
are fighting a terrorist organization that is desperate to remain relevant despite the
significant losses we have inflicted on them. Clearly Al-Shabaab will do anything and
everything to attract your attention and media headlines. For AMISOM and all our
partners especially the good people and the Government of Somalia whom we are

here to support, this incident has only continued to strengthen our resolve to fight
Al-Shabaab, so that the Somali people can enjoy peace and be free from terror, said
the SRCC.
The AMISOM leadership also applauded the Somali government for the ongoing
reconciliation efforts in the federal states and noted that these are the right steps on
the path to democracy.
We know Somalia, we know the glory of this country years back. So I take this
opportunity to appeal to all our Somali brothers and sisters to support the ongoing
efforts of reconciliation, because a house only stands united, when sons and
daughters fight to remain united.
Ambassador Sidikou expressed optimism for the year 2015, adding that it will be a
year in which Somalia will make significant strides towards self realization of peace
and state building goals.
It will be a year in which AMISOM continue to pursue its mandate of ensure a safe
and secure Somalia. It will also be a year which will be the homestretch for the 2016
elections and so there will be a lot of thought on achieving the peace and
statebuilding goals outlined in the New Deal Compact. From a security perspective,
the effort to rid Somalia of any remnants elements of Al-Shabaab shall be pursued
relentlessly. But lets not also forget the people in the recovered areas. Here, we will
support the Federal Government to ensure that these areas receive the support they
need. So through you, I would like here to appeal to the International community to
come to the aid of the people in these areas. Their needs are immediate, they
cannot wait until tomorrow. I would like to also assure you that we will continue to
support the capacity building enhancement of the Somali National army and the
Somali National Police; this is at the core of the AMISOM exit strategy, he noted.
Ambassador Maman Sidikou also took a moment to applaud the media and their
positive contribution towards the progress now evident in Somalia.
END.