U.S. Army personnel from the 490th Civil Affairs Battalion - Charlie Company, along with the Functional Specialty Rule of Law Office of the Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA) in Djibouti, trained 66 Ugandan military personnel in humanitarian law and rules of engagement in the northeastern town of Moroto, June 25-26, 2012.



During the two-day course, the U.S. Army Civil Affairs Team and the CJTF-HOA Rule of Law officer and lead trainer Major Jim Wherry trained 23 warrant officers and 43 noncommissioned officers from the Uganda Peoples' Defence Forces (UPDF) 3rd Infantry Division.



"The purpose was to advocate a respect for human rights and the rule of law by promoting good conduct, so as to build support for our partner nation, Uganda, among its people, and to build capacity among the troops," said Wherry.



Wherry believes that many human rights abuses can be prevented simply by ensuring soldiers do their jobs carefully. "Repeated practice builds confidence in soldiers to overcome carelessness and only use deadly force against credible threats," he explained.



In the classroom, trainers presented on a variety of subjects, including: the law of war, the law of internal conflict, escalation of force, rules of engagement, gender-based violence, refugee and children's rights, rights of detainees, protection of civilians, and civil-military cooperation in routine military missions.



The training included such practical exercises as a mock routine operation in cooperative and respectful cordon and search techniques, and reporting law of war violations. By following a "training of trainers" model, the course sought to enable UPDF trainees to then train their peers.



Many trainees from the UPDF served in the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM). This training allowed them to compare and discuss rule of war application in both AMISOM and Karamoja operations.



According to training facilitator Corporal Jason Jordan of the 490th Civil Affairs Battalion - Charlie Company, the interaction gave trainees a better understanding of humanitarian law and how it affects soldiers and military operations.



"The course received very high reviews from both the UPDF officers and the NCOs. The UPDF Civil Affairs Office requested a copy of the training material so they could incorporate instruction of human rights and civil-military cooperation into their own training regimen," Corporal Jordan said.