Somalia denies opposing funding

Somalia has denied opposing funding for Kenya’s navy to fight Al-Shabaab, saying they only thought it would be more expensive than building it’s coast guard.

Somalia denies opposing funding for Kenya navy

Somalia has now denied opposing funding for Kenya’s navy to fight Al-Shabaab.

Somalia Ambassador to Kenya Mr Mohamed Nur on Sunday clarified that his country only thought it would be more expensive to fund a navy and instead proposed for the building of its equivalent called the Somali Coast Guard.

“We prefer to get help in building our Coast Guard which would be less costly and more effective for the long term security of Somalia and the wider region,” he said.

On Thursday, the Nation learnt that Somalia Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Fawzia Adam had opposed to the Security Council for the African Mission in Somalia (Amisom) to be funded for a maritime component.

Kenya is the only Amisom forces contributing country deploying naval forces in Somali waters and has long sought UN approval of about $10 million (Sh870m) in funding for an Amisom maritime force.

But while Ms Adam acknowledged the importance of such a move, she was adamant it would not be a long-term solution for Somalia’s security challenges because there was no “compelling reason to take the campaign against Al-Shabaab to sea.”

“Piracy, human trafficking and smuggling are important challenges,” she added, “but are not linked to the mandate of Amisom.”

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Source: Daily Nation.

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