MOGADISHU, Sept. 5 (Xinhua) -- Police and troop contributing countries to the African Union and UN missions in Somalia have wrapped up a two-day meeting in Mogadishu on Thursday aimed at ensuring that the equipment is well maintained.
The meeting which was attended by AMISOM military officers from the contingents of Burundi, Kenya, and Uganda, which receive equipment from international partners expressed concern about the high rate of equipment wear and tear due to the harsh operating environment, said the AU mission said in a statement.
James Nakibus Lakara, AMISOM deputy force commander in charge of operations and plans, said there are documented challenges with maintaining such equipment.
"Lack of spare parts remains the biggest challenge to servicing of partner-owned equipment. This I say from the various reports that I have read," said Lakara who closed the meeting.
The military officers discussed challenges faced concerning servicing of partner-owned equipment used by the AMISOM contingents.
According to AU mission, bilateral partners such as the U.S. and Britain provide AMISOM with armored personnel carriers and engineering equipment.
The UN Support Office in Somalia (UNSOS) is mandated under UN Security Council Resolution 2245 of 2015, to ensure that the equipment is well maintained.
Lakara hailed international partners that provide support in the form of equipment donations to enhance the capabilities of AMISOM contingents to carry out anti-insurgent operations.
"Much of the achievements today would not have been possible without the provision of such equipment by our partners," he added.
Mike Collins, UNSOS senior logistics officer, service delivery said the UN mission has a responsibility to keep the partner-owned equipment at about 75 percent serviceability.
However, Collins noted that there was a shortfall in ensuring the serviceability of equipment due to delivery challenges.
"This was a crucial meeting because we face challenges in maintenance of our partner-owned equipment," said Collins, adding that "with better communication, we can achieve more."
