Then Major Maurer, the first Canadian soldier stationed in Somalia, demonstrated remarkable courage while moving throughout the city of Mogadishu day and night, often unaccompanied, to ensure the communications and liaison necessary to keep operations running smoothly. As the staff officer in J3 Operations, he earned the admiration of the Allied Chiefs by developing the plan for the transition from the allied forces to the United Nations operation force. He also designed the weapons distribution policy used by the guards employed by the humanitarian assistance agencies and played a significant role in the preparation of the talks that led to the Addis Abbaba accord and the peace talks.