Somalia: We shall re-evaluate Danab’s transparency and accountability, US says

MOGADISHU, Somalia - The government of the United States of America has vowed to reassess its relationship and cooperation with the Danab Special Forces, a unit within the Somali National Army (SNA) that directly benefits from Washington in the war against al-Shabaab.

A US official said in a statement to Reuters that Washington takes all corruption accusations seriously. The force is accused of diverting food rations to the black market contrary to an agreement with the United States.

“We look forward to engaging with the Danab on creating the necessary safeguards and accountability measures to prevent future incidents that could affect future assistance,” the official said, without directly addressing whether any US support had already been suspended.

Multiple sources told Garowe Online that the government of the US intends to stop giving support to Danab forces by June 2024 of revelations about corruption in the outfit, which has played a key role in the elimination of Al-Shabab.

Somalia’s government said it had suspended and detained several members of an elite, US-trained commando unit for stealing rations donated by the US, adding that it was taking over responsibility for provisioning the force.

The Danab unit has been a key pillar of US-backed efforts to combat the Al-Qaeda-linked militant group Al-Shabab. The US agreed in February to spend more than $100 million to build up to five military bases for Danab.

So far, the US has trained over 3,000 elite forces who have partly managed to topple al-Shabaab from critical regions in the Horn of Africa nation. The government of Somalia has also called for support from international partners in the war against the group.

President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud's administration pledged to eliminate the group from the country by 2024 and besides military interventions, the government is also tracing financiers of the group. Several banks and mobile money transfer firms related to the group have also been closed.

Washington suspended some defense assistance to Somalia in 2017 after the military could not account for food and fuel. The US also conducts frequent drone strikes targeting Al-Shabab militants

Danab had serious setbacks over the past year including the deadly al-Shabaab attack on Gal’ad. But none is more important to the troops than maintaining support from the US, including advice and assistance, and weapons and equipment.

GAROWE ONLINE