Somali communities in newly liberated areas devastated by Al Shabaab must receive immediate humanitarian assistance, His Excellency President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said today in a high-level meeting with Somalia’s most important international partners.
The President emphasized the need for immediate humanitarian assistance and praised the Turkish and UAE Red Crescent organizations for the aid being provided to communities in serious need.
“We must show the people they are not alone,” the President said. “The people need to see help coming rapidly and they need to know that more is on its way.”
Updating international partners on federal government support to the ever-expanding newly liberated areas, the President said:
“Government ministers have already visited newly liberated areas to assess the situation and establish short-term local community needs and this will continue in earnest. Cabinet ministers have also been allocated responsibility for different regions and some will be deploying on a more permanent basis to assist local communities and administrations.”
The UN’s Special Representative of the Secretary General, Ambassador Nick Kay, announced UNSOM was providing $3m worth of support to the Ministry of Interior’s stabilization programme.
“We send our very strong congratulations to the Somali National Army (SNA) and AMISOM for the recent military successes,” Ambassador Kay said. “This is the most significant and geographically extensive operation since AMISOM began. We really think it’s a turnaround for the country.”
Ambassador Mahamat Saleh Annadif, Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union, briefed the President on Al Shabaab’s destruction of local infrastructure, including even water facilities and wells. AMISOM has been engaged in installing new water facilities as they and the SNA together seize more ground from the retreating terrorists.
The President noted that the security architecture in Mogadishu was strengthening with the recent establishment of the Joint Operations Centre, manned by AMISOM police and military, SNA and Somali police and the National Intelligence and Security Agency.
The high-level meeting also included His Excellency Farah Abdulkadir, Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs and the UN, AU, EU, UK, Swedish and Norwegian ambassadors.
