William Hague Visits Xamar

[MoonLight1]

Hague visits the TFG

The UK International Development Minister visits PL

The assistant to the British safeer to Xabashland visits SL

.

 

Ngonge, There is a xaayoow shirib, which says Wardhiigleey wasaarad waaye, Intakalana wakaalad waaye Hope you understood.

[The Zack]

^Loooooooool ha ha!

[General Duke]

This is a good day for Somalia. Britians top diplomat visits the country and appoints an ambassador. Mogadishu is coming back from it's isolation. British is following in the footsteps of the Turks, Italy, Bahrain and UN to reopen their offices & embassies in Mogadishu.

Change is happening. We welcome it.

[Sensei]

Nice one, Ngonge.

[Che -Guevara]

Britain appoints first ambassador to Somalia for 21 years

 

Thursday, February 02, 2012

By Abdi Sheikh

 

MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Britain appointed its first ambassador to Somalia for 21 years on Thursday during a visit to the capital of the anarchic Horn of Africa nation by Foreign Secretary William Hague.

 

It was the first visit to Mogadishu by a British foreign minister since 1992 and comes ahead of a conference in London this month to discuss measures to tackle instability in Somalia and piracy off its shores.

 

Britain's new envoy to Somalia, Matt Baugh, will remain based in Kenya's capital Nairobi until security conditions permit the opening of an embassy in Mogadishu.

 

Somalia descended into chaos after dictator Mohamed Siad Barre was ousted in 1991 and a Western-backed transition government has been battling local al Qaeda-linked insurgents al Shabaab for the past five years.

At the moment, there are six diplomatic missions in Mogadishu, representing Djibouti, Ethiopia, Libya, Sudan, Turkey and Yemen. The U.N.'s special envoy to Somalia also moved to Mogadishu last month.

 

An African Union force (AMISOM) in Mogadishu has helped drive al Shabaab out of the capital, but much of the south of remains in the hands of the rebels. Kenya and Ethiopia have both sent forces into Somalia to battle al Shabaab.

 

Analysts say the departure of al Shabaab from the capital, combined with the offensives by neighbouring states, has opened a window of opportunity to defeat the hardline militants, although Mogadishu remains prone to almost daily bomb attacks.

 

"We need to step this up. We are not complacent about it," Hague said, describing Somalia as "the world's most failed state".

 

"For the security of the UK, it matters a lot for Somalia to become a more stable place," he said. "Some progress has been made on this, partly because of the progress of the AMISOM force."

 

DISRUPT TERRORIST NETWORKS

 

Al Shabaab struck Uganda in 2010, killing nearly 80 people watching the soccer World Cup final. The militants have launched a series of grenade and roadside bomb attacks in Kenya since it sent troops into Somalia in October.

 

Britain has warned it is only a matter of time before Islamist militants trained in Somalia strike on British soil.

 

"One of the objectives of our conference in London is to strengthen counter-terrorism cooperation to make it easier for countries in this region to disrupt terrorist networks, to disrupt their financing and the movement of potential terrorists," Hague said.

 

Hague's visit came as Kenyan and Somali troops seized two towns in southern Somalia from al Shabaab in a bid to consolidate control of border areas, a Kenyan military spokesman said, ahead of an eventual push on rebel strongholds.

 

Kenyan ground forces entered Hosungow, near the Kenyan border, on Wednesday after air strikes over the weekend weakened the al Shabaab rebel group's defensive positions, Emmanuel Chirchir told Reuters.

 

"Capturing Hosungow is important for denying Shabaab their rearguard operations," Chirchir said on Wednesday.

 

While Kenya's near four-month military campaign inside Somalia has dislodged al Shabaab from several towns in the border area, the militants have retreated into the bush and regularly ambush the Kenyan forces on key supply routes.

 

Al Shabaab denied Chirchir's claim several insurgents had been killed in a battle for Hosungow and said its fighters were based outside the town at the time Kenyan troops advanced.

 

Further south towards Somalia's Indian Ocean coastline, Somali government troops regained control of Badhaadhe late on Wednesday. Kenyan troops were stationed within "firing distance". (Additional reporting by Abdirahman Hussein in Mogadishu, Richard Lough and David Clarke in Nairobi; Writing by David Clarke; Editing by Giles Elgood)

 

Source: Reuters

[Abwaan]

Good move, I hope that the opportunity is not waisted.

[General Duke]

Its opportunity for Britain as well. They don't want the Turks & Chinese to take all the influence in the new Somalia.

[NASSIR]

Great News! I am glad Great Britain is onboard.

[AsadSL]

Jacaylbaro;783827 wrote:

 

[Maaddeey]

D/P

[Maaddeey]

They are sending trooos too!:

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/politics/4095696/Goverments-shock-aid-warning-on-Somalia.html

[NASSIR]

^

It comes as Somalia is expected to replace Afghanistan as Britain's top overseas priority once operations against the Taliban end in 2015

The Sun

[Sensei]

^Good God! Read the comments below the article(Maadeey's) & Brits seem little pissed.

[Shinbir Majabe]

^ ... and this guy (Somali-Guy) surely is our own Maadeey..

[Maaddeey]

I could be him, minus burcad badeed faanis.