Saturday March 4, 2023
MOGADISHU: The European Union has approved €110 million (about US$116.6 million) for stabilisation efforts in Somalia battling al-Shabab terrorists across the country, reported Xinhua.
The EU said it will add US$90 million to the resources already mobilised for African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) for 2023 and US$26.6 million for the Somali National Army (SNA).
“Both actions aim at contributing to the handover of security responsibilities from ATMIS to the SNA, by allowing the former to fulfill its mandate while strengthening the capacities of the latter,“ the EU said in a statement issued Thursday evening.
It also said the agreed support will mostly contribute to the troop allowances of the African soldiers deployed for stabilisation efforts in Somalia, stressing that the funds for the SNA will focus on the provision of non-lethal equipment and on infrastructure works, in close coordination with the European Training Mission in Somalia (EUTM-S).