U.S. to recognize Somali government, opening door to new aid

[Che -Guevara]

By Andrew Quinn

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

 

 

WASHINGTON - (Reuters) - The United States will on Thursday officially recognize the Somali government in Mogadishu, ending a hiatus of more than 20 years and opening the door to increased U.S. and international economic help for the violence-plagued African nation, a senior U.S. official said on Wednesday.

 

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will announce the shift during a meeting with visiting Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, whose election last year marked the first vote of its kind since warlords toppled military dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991, Assistant Secretary of State Johnnie Carson told reporters.

 

"When the secretary meets with Hassan Sheikh tomorrow, she will exchange diplomatic notes with him and recognize the Somali government in Mogadishu for the first time in 20 years," Carson told a news briefing.

 

The United States never formally severed diplomatic ties with Somalia, whose slide into anarchy was highlighted by the 1993 "Black Hawk Down" incident which saw militia fighters shoot down two U.S. military helicopters over Mogadishu.

 

In subsequent years, al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab insurgents seized control of large areas in the south and central parts of the country before Ethiopian, Kenyan and African peacekeeping (AMISOM) troops began a long, U.S.-supported counter offensive aimed at restoring order.

 

The formation of the new government led by Mohamud is the culmination of a regionally brokered, U.N.-backed effort to end close to two decades of fighting that has killed tens of thousands of people.

 

Carson said the U.S. decision to formally recognize the new government underscored the progress toward political stability that Somalia has made over the past year, including "breaking the back" of the al Shabaab insurgency.

 

"We are a long way from where we were on Oct 3, 1993 when Black Hawk Down occurred in Mogadishu," Carson said.

 

"Significant progress has been made in stabilizing the country, in helping to break up and defeat al Shabaab. Much more needs to be done, but we think enormous progress has been made and we have been at the very center of this in our support for AMISOM."

 

Continued security concerns in Somalia were highlighted over the weekend when French commandos failed to win the release of a French agent held by militants since 2009 during a helicopter raid in southern Somalia.

 

STEPS TOWARD MORE AID

 

Clinton does not intend to announce any specific new aid packages for Somalia, which already receives significant U.S. humanitarian assistance for drought, famine and refugee relief, one senior U.S. official said.

 

But formal U.S. recognition of the new government paves the way for new flows of assistance both from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and other U.S. agencies as well as from international actors such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.

 

"The fact that we recognize a government there will allow us to do things through USAID that we have not been able to do before. The fact that we recognize them as a legitimate government will allow the World Bank and the IMF to do things that they would not have been able to do before.This is major and it is significant," the official said.

 

Mohamud and his team met with senior USAID officials as well as World Bank President Jim Yong Kim during their trip to Washington, U.S. officials said.

 

The senior U.S. official said the United States did not have any immediate plan to reopen an embassy in Mogadishu but indicated that this could also eventually follow Thursday's announcement. U.S. policy on Somalia is currently handled by a special envoy based out of Nairobi. (Reporting By Andrew Quinn; Editing by Cynthia Osterman).

 

Source: Reuters

[suleeymaan]

Good news. It was about time the US recognized this government. Hopefully we will see soon the arms embargo lifted.

[Che -Guevara]

"We are a long way from where we were on Oct 3, 1993 when Black Hawk Down occurred in Mogadishu," Carson said.

 

Yanks know to hold grudge lool

[Che -Guevara]

suleeymaan;908978 wrote:

Good news. It was about time the US recognized this government. Hopefully we will see soon the arms embargo lifted.

Well, I hope the Government takes full advantage of this opportunity. The arms embargo should stay in place. There are enough guns in Somali hands.

[suleeymaan]

Che -Guevara;908979 wrote:

"We are a long way from where we were on Oct 3, 1993 when Black Hawk Down occurred in Mogadishu," Carson said.

 

Yanks know to hold grudge lool

I don't blame them.

 

“raqis watch Black Hawk Down for tips

 

Saddam Hussein has distributed copies of the Hollywood movie Black Hawk Down to his troops as a primer on how to defeat the Americans, according to a report.”

http://www.canada.com/national/features/iraq/story.html?id=%7BDED70BB0-4F14-443A-B815-B255BBC65C1C%7D

[Che -Guevara]

Remarks on the Visit of Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and the Situation in Mali

 

 

Remarks

Johnnie Carson

Assistant Secretary, Bureau of African Affairs

Washington, DC

January 16, 2013

 

MS. NULAND: Thank you all for joining us. We’re delighted this morning to have Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Johnnie Carson with us to talk about the visit of the Somali President Hassan Sheikh to Washington tomorrow. He’ll be seeing Secretary Clinton and he will also have a little bit for you on the situation in Mali.

 

Please, Assistant Secretary Carson.

 

ASSISTANT SECRETARY CARSON: Thank you very much. It’s a pleasure to be with all of you this morning to talk about two issues of significant importance to the United States. Somalia first. The visit here this week of the new Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud represents a significant change in the security and political situation on the ground in Somalia and our relationship with that country.

 

When the Secretary meets with Hassan Sheikh tomorrow, she will exchange diplomatic notes with him and recognize the Somali Government in Mogadishu for the first time in 20 years, since the collapse of the Siad Barre government in 1991.

 

We believe that over the last four years, our policies in Somalia and in the region have made a significant difference in strengthening stability in Mogadishu and in helping to get rid of the key members of the East Africa al-Qaida cell as well as breaking the back of al-Shabaab. We have done this largely with and through and alongside of our African partners in AMISOM. This has been a major, major success.

 

We are a long way from where we were on October 3, 1993, when Blackhawk Down occurred in Mogadishu. Significant progress has been made in stabilizing the country, in helping to break up and defeat al-Shabaab. Much more needs to be done, but we think enormous progress has been made, and we have been at the very center of this in our support for AMISOM. I’d be glad to go into more details on this, but Hassan Sheikh will, through this recognition, be able to establish new relationships not only with USAID and the various development partners in the U.S. Government, but will also open up opportunities for his government to receive assistance from the international financial communities.

 

One of the big meetings occurring today with Hassan Sheikh is a meeting with the president of the World Bank, President Kim. But this is a significant achievement, and we want to build on it. Al-Shabaab is not totally eliminated, but they no longer control any of the major cities in Somalia. They have been on the run for some period of time now.

 

Let me say a little bit about Mali. We have been, since March of last year, deeply concerned about the political and security situation in that country as a result of the coup d’état that took place there. We have always said this is a complex problem with four issues: one, a need to return that country to democratic governance; two, the need to deal effectively with the political grievances of the northern Tuareg; three, to defeat, work, and help to defeat al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, AQIM; and fourth, to deal with the humanitarian problems that exist in that region.

 

These issues have all been looked at and explored. We have tried to play a useful diplomatic role and we continue to do so. We support the French efforts in Mali. We believe that it is important that AQIM be defeated, that we give support to the region as they fight AQIM. And we have been very forthcoming ourselves in this. From our vantage point here at the State Department, we have said very, very clearly that we are prepared to send trainers and advisors from the State Department from our ACOTA program – and that’s A-C-O-T-A, the acronym for our ACOTA program – out to troop-contributing countries immediately to help them assess what their needs are before they send troops in to Mali.

 

We have also made it very clear that we are prepared to engage in pre-deployment training of troops before they go in. We are prepared to provide equipment, nonlethal, and also sustainment packages so that they will be able to effectively do their work. And we also have said to African states in the region that we are prepared to use State Department funds under ACOTA and under our peacekeeping authorities to transport troops from the region into Mali.

 

What we will not do is to provide salaries for those troops and we will not provide any lethal weapons to them, but we will train them to be able to do the kinds of jobs that are necessary and help them with a variety of important equipment that will help sustain and make their operations more effective.

 

We are committed to help implement Security Council Resolution 2085 that was passed on December 20th with respect to Mali and the region. That resolution defines our commitment to Mali and to the region

 

http://www.state.gov/p/af/rls/rm/2013/202926.htm

[Abwaan]

Wunderbar.....It is time to lift the arms embargo!

[Che -Guevara]

Arming an ill-trained militia with no qualified officer corp will spell disaster. And where will Somalia get the money to buy arms?

[walaalkis]

Che -Guevara;908991 wrote:

Arming an ill-trained militia with no qualified officer corp will spell disaster. And where will Somalia get the money to buy arms?

+1

 

You can't expected 1year old baby to do man's job. Takes many years and training to do what real military power country does ,

Few skinnies with low low low paying wages, no proper uniform, no physical powrer

[Abwaan]

Che -Guevara;908991 wrote:

Arming an ill-trained militia with no qualified officer corp will spell disaster. And where will Somalia get the money to buy arms?

Waryaa Che, The diaspora will be given an opportunity ee Xiddigle mallagugu qaadanayaa? Forget General Fake...Kuwaas dowladihii AY iyo Sharif bay raaceen.

[Xaaji Xunjuf]

Thats a good step that means lots of aid can come and assist the Somalis and reconstruct the country in need the arms embargo needs to be lifted to in order to built a capable army. Che Egypt and Turkey said they will help built the Army equipment can easily be purchased.

[Sakata]

Good start indeed, but am picturing some people staging a bacaa and protesting in minneapolis very soon....

[Ambassador]

When it comes to dealing with arms I dont think you can call the somalis ill trained. However, They lack discipline which is just as essential.

 

This is a wonderful news. May Somalia return more peacfull inshallah.

[Abwaan]

Vsabba;909010 wrote:

Good start indeed, but am picturing some people staging a bacaa and protesting in minneapolis very soon....

Protesting against who? Yaab badanaa. Xiinfaniin haye, ma mudaaharaad baa soo waddaa? Markaas waa ceebtii adduunka. Gabdhaha la kufsanayo haddii loo muddaaharadaayo ma ogi balse wax kale ma garanayo, iyadana maantay ayaaba rag loo toogtey baan maqlayey oo waa la isku daba jiraa. Ninkii gabar xooga waaba xabbad baa la dhahay cayaar meesha ma taal.

[Sakata]

No harm intended, but i was reading couple of article in hiiran and i have seen enough responses to where some people wanted protest the coming of the president to Minneapolis and the government as whole....