MOGADISHU (Halbeeg News) – The United Kingdom pledged $6.2 million to assist Somali security forces in combating terrorism and restoring peace in regions recaptured from the al-Shabaab terrorist group.
The funds will be used to sustain assistance and operations against al-Shabaab, as well as to help strengthen the capabilities of the security forces as the African Union withdraws its mission from the Horn of Africa country.
“The UK Government has announced a further £5 million in funding for the UN Support Office in Somalia (UNSOS) Trust Fund to support Somalia’s Security Forces,” stated the British Embassy in Mogadishu.
The funds, according to the statement, will be utilised for non-lethal logistical support to Somali security personnel, such as food, lodging, and medevac.
“Significant progress has been made in Somalia over the last decade. The international community must remain committed in support of Somalia’s aims for a sustainable, affordable, and accountable security sector,” it said, adding that the transition from the African Union mission in Somalia to Somali-led security “remains our collective goal.”
The Somali national army and its associated clan-based militias have seized huge swaths of territory in the central regions of Hirshabele and Galmudug as part of their ongoing onslaught against the al Qaeda-affiliated organisation.
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