Somalia needs your help than never before, UN chief says
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Staff reporter GAROWE ONLINE
- Posted On 12-04-2023, 08:38AM
MOGADISHU, Somalia - Members of the international community should focus on investing in Somalia at the time the Horn of Africa nation is undergoing difficult times, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said, noting that the country needs "massive support" due to insecurity and drought.
Somalia, he said, is struggling to combat terrorism given the growing influence of Al-Shabaab and IS-Somalia, with traces of drought which has also left dozens of people dead and thousands displaced. Guterres visited Somalia on Tuesday for the first time in six years.
At Mogadishu, Guterres was welcomed by Abshir Omar, the Foreign Affairs Minister before holding joint talks with President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud. The U.N secretary-general was given a red carpet welcome complete with a guard of honor as he was received at the main international airport by Somalia and U.N officials.
Activities in the city were put on lockdown to allow the guest to move around with ease. His visit comes at a time the country has imposed strict security measures, especially within Mogadishu, which is being targeted by Al-Shabaab terrorists.
On his part, Hassan Sheikh thanked Guterres for the visit, while requesting for support from the international community. The country has heightened the war against Al-Shabaab and other violent extremist groups, with the second phase set to begin soon.
“This visit assures us that the U.N is fully committed to supporting our plans for state-building and stabilizing the country. We are confident that the Somali people will be able to overcome the problems and challenges they are still facing through the completion of the liberation of the country and reconciliation,” Mohamud said.
Food security experts say life remains “extremely critical” for more than 6 million hungry people in Somalia’s historic drought. The second phase, which is expected to start in weeks, already has attracted support from the US Africa Command, the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia [ATMIS], and the local militia.
GAROWE ONLINE
