Hungarian soldiers for security – Lieutenant General Kajári in Somalia

Early this week, Lieutenant General Kajári visited the Hungarian troops serving with the European Union Training Mission in Somalia (EUTM-S) in order to receive first-hand information about their tasks, activities as well as their living and service conditions.

The lieutenant general held a discussion with Italian Brigadier General Marco Manzone, Commander, EUTM-S. At the meeting, the two reviewed the activity of the mission and the security challenges of the region. General Manzone spoke highly of the work of the five-man Hungarian mobile training team, highlighting the soldiers’ preparedness level, thorough professionalism and load-bearing capacity.

The Italian-led EUTM Somalia is a key security building mission of the European Union in Africa. Launched in 2010, the mission aims at strengthening the Somali national security forces to make them independent and able to contribute to regional stability. In the interest of this, the EU assists the Somali Armed Forces with targeted mentoring and advising, training and developing educational capacities.

The possibility of Hungarian military engagement was formulated during the 2024 Hungarian EU presidency, in response to the security policy challenges of the continent and the need to support Alliance efforts.

The Hungarian soldiers started their tour of duty in Somalia in March 2025. They are participating in the training of the Somali Armed Forces, during which they have organized and conducted range officer and ammunition depot manager courses with curriculums worked out by themselves. Besides, on two occasions they made preparations for the battalion-level combat training of the Somali Armed Forces and regularly hold marksmanship training sessions.

EUTM Somalia

The military training mission of the European Union in Somalia (EUTM Somalia) was launched in February 2010 to strengthen the Somali federal defence institutions. Its mandate was extended several times, and currently it runs until the end of February 2027. Among other things, the mission contributes to regional security and stability through providing training, mentoring and advice to the Somali security forces, as well as by helping the establishment and development of the Somali system of military training.

Today, the Italian-led EUTM-S already brings together troops of more than a dozen EU member and partner countries, who are working in Mogadishu and on other sites to develop the capabilities of the Somali Armed Forces, to strengthen command structures and establish a sustainable training system.

The mission operates in close collaboration with other EU operations, for example with the EU NAVFOR Somalia naval and the EUCAP civilian crisis management missions, so the European efforts make a coordinated contribution to regional peace and development.

In the period between 2010 and 2019, Hungary participated in the EUTM-Somalia military training mission, and then, after a pause of six years, it joined the mission again in the spring of 2025. The Hungarian Special Operations Forces (SOF) soldiers mainly train shooting instructors and ammunition depot managers to contribute to the development of local capabilities. By launching these two military training courses and by mentoring, they enable the Somali military to independently and safely use the shooting range and ammunition depot established by the European Union. The Hungarian engagement simultaneously enhances the professionalism of local security forces and serves the stabilization of the southern neighborhood of the European Union, thereby promoting Hungary’s international image and its active role assumed in Alliance cooperation.