From 8 to 12 August, UNOAU staff supported a team of experts from the African Union Peace Support Operations Division (AU PSOD), the United Nations Support Office in Somalia (UNSOS), and the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) in Entebbe, Uganda, to conduct a Pre-deployment Verification (PDV) of two attack and two utility helicopters from Burundi, as well as two attack helicopters from Uganda.

The PDV was conducted in preparation for the imminent deployment of these assets to support ATMIS operations. The current PDV followed the initial Advisory and Assessment Inspections (AAI), which was conducted in November 2022. The verification team conducted physical inspections and examined the aviation units ground components data, using the developed AU and UN checklist tools.

The verification showed that the capabilities of the platforms conform to what is outlined in the Statement of Unit requirements (SUR) and are hence fit for deployment into the operational theatre. Confirmation and verification of the availability of this equipment including vehicles, ground support equipment, and ambulances, will continue as agreed in the finalized Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the UN and Troop Contributing Countries (TCCs).