Commissioner of Police (CP), Hillary Sao Kanu, has formally assumed office as the Police Commissioner for the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS).
CP. Hillary Sao Kanu, from Sierra Leone, arrived in Mogadishu on Thursday, to commence her duties. She replaces Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIGP), Augustine Magnus Kailie, also from Sierra Leone, who concluded his tour of duty in October last year.
She was officially received on Friday at the ATMIS Police Headquarters in Mogadishu where she inspected a guard of honour mounted by ATMIS police personnel.
“My priorities are to build on what has already been achieved and sustain the momentum to ensure we achieve our goal of ensuring security and stability in Somalia,†said CP Kanu in an interview.
CP. Kanu, also emphasized that the ATMIS Police component will collaborate with their counterparts, the Somali Police Force to achieve the mission’s objectives and build capacity through training, mentoring and advising.
“In collaboration with the Somali Police force, ATMIS police have maintained peace and security in Somalia and that’s what we will build on,†she added.
ATMIS Police, is one of the three components of the AU peace support operations in Somalia, mandated to provide operational support and capacity building to the Somali Police Force (SPF).
CP. Kano brings to the mission a wealth of knowledge and experience spanning over 30 years in the police service, having joined the Sierra Leone Police Force in July 1992.
Prior to her appointment as the ATMIS Police Commissioner, she was the Director of Support Services at Sierra Leone Police Headquarters. She previously served at UNAMID, the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur, Sudan.
