STORY: AMISOM engages London diaspora

community
DURATION: 03:28
SOURCE: AMISOM PUBLIC INFORMATION
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CREDIT REQUIRED: AMISOM PUBLIC
INFORMATION
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH/SOMALI/NATURAL SOUND
DATELINE: 13/MAY/2017, LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM

SHOT LIST

1. Wide shot of the meeting room showing the African

Union Special Representative for Somalia Ambassador
Francisco Caetano Madeira, Defence Minister of the Federal
Government of Somalia Hon. Abdirashid Abdullahi and other
officials in the background.
2. Medium shot of one of the speakers.
3. Wide shot of a section of participants attending the
meeting.
4. SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH): AMBASSADOR FRANCISCO
MADEIRA - THE AFRICAN UNION SPECIAL
REPRESENTATIVE FOR SOMALIA
As leaders in the London Somali diaspora, your ability
to mobilize, motivate and accurately inform your
communities and compatriots will ensure that your
collective sacrifices serve to benefit the nation of
Somalia.

5. Wide shot of the Special Representative of the African

Union Special Representative for Somalia Ambassador
Francisco Caetano Madeira and other officials in the meeting.
6. Wide shot of participants in the meeting.
7. Close up shot of the face of one of the female
participants in the meeting.
8. SOUNDBITE (SOMALI): HONOURABLE ABDIRASHID
ABDULLAHI - MINISTER OF DEFENCE IN THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT OF SOMALIA
We can only rebuild our army if we get funds. We are
discussing a programme that we will share with you,
that will require every working Somali to make a
contribution to.
 9. Wide shot of some of the participants in the meeting.
10. Medium shot of two female participants in the
meeting.
11. Medium shot of one of the female participants in
the meeting.
12. SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH): AMBASSADOR
FRANCISCO MADEIRA - THE AFRICAN UNION SPECIAL
REPRESENTATIVE FOR SOMALIA
I am very positive that we will succeed. The London
Conference just clearly indicated that we are now in a
position to take this process to another level. We need
now to use these coming four years to consolidate the
security aspect of the process. And I am sure that by
the end of 2020 we will be somewhere else. This is
going to succeed. Its possible with better coordination
and concentration of efforts. We are going to degrade
further al-Shabaab and contain it.

13. Medium shot of female participants in the

meeting.
14. Close up shot of one of the participants in the
meeting.
15. Medium shot of other participants in the meeting.
16. SOUNDBITE: A participant
What we need is international community to support
or the British Government or the European Union to
support or United Nations, to build the Somali forces to
battle against al-Shabaab and to defeat them.

17. Wide shot of the Special Representative of the

African Union Special Representative for Somalia Ambassador
Francisco Madeira, Dr. Walter Summers, AMISOM Senior
Political Affairs Officer and another official in the background.
18. Wide shot of the meeting room as a participant
share a comment.
19. Wide shot of the meeting room.
20. Medium shot of some of the participants in the
meeting room.
21. SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH): SAYID ALI -
COMMUNITY WORKER
If there is security, I am sure Somalis can help themselves.
And there would be no poverty and hunger if there is peace
and stability. Thats the main thing. I think Somalia is a very
rich country and everybody knows that. Hopefully things will
improve and hopefully peace and security in Somalia will be in
the interest of the whole world, it will be in the interest of the
 African continent. So I hope our African brothers and sisters
will assist us in achieving a sustainable long term peaceful
solution.

AMISOM ENGAGES LONDON DIASPORA COMMUNITY

London, 13 May 2017 - The Somali community living in

London held a highly constructive dialogue with the AU
Special Representative for Somalia Ambassador Francisco
Caetano Madeira, last night, on the progress made in the
security front in Somalia and the role of the AU Mission in
the Horn of Africa.

The dialogue, attended by the Minister of Defence in the

Federal Government of Somalia Hon. Abdirashid Abdullahi,
also discussed ways in which Somalis in the diaspora can
enlist their support.

As leaders in the London Somali diaspora, your ability to

mobilize, motivate and accurately inform your compatriots
will ensure that your collective sacrifices serve to benefit
the nation of Somalia, Amb. Madeira told a well attended
forum in Central London, on Friday evening.

Your specialized skills and experience are needed to uplift

Somalia. Pledge your commitment, however small, to
make a difference, he said.

The meeting was held a day after the hugely successful

London Conference on Somalia, where global leaders
pledged increased support to Somalia National Army,
ahead of an envisaged drawdown of AU troops from the
country.

We can only rebuild our army if we get funds. We are

discussing a programme that we will share with you, that
will require every working Somali to make a contribution
to, Minister Abdullahi told the gathering.

We need to do more as we recover and we need to

sacrifice a lot with our time and knowledge, he stated.

The state of the Somali National Security Institutions was

a concern at the just concluded London Conference. There
was a unanimous agreement that radical measures be
taken to strengthen the national army, to empower
Somalis to take control of their own security.

I am very positive that we will succeed. The London

Conference just clearly indicated that we are now in a
position to take this process to another level, Amb.
Madeira said.

The meeting with Somalis living in London familiarized

them with the positive developments taking place in the
country, as a result of the countrys return to relative
peace.

What we need is the international community to support -

the British Government or the European Union or United
Nations - to build the Somali forces to battle against Al-
Shabaab and to defeat them, a participant at the
dialogue said.

Sayid Ali, a community worker in London added, I think

Somalia is a very rich country and everybody knows that. I
think everything will improve and hopefully peace and
security in Somalia will be in the interests of the whole
world and of the African continent.

I hope our African brothers and sisters will (continue to)

assist us in achieving a sustainable long term peaceful
solution.

END