The Somali president stresses that the visit “supports the government and the democratic process” in the African country
11 (EUROPA PRESS)
The Secretary General of the United Nations, António Guterres, has demanded this Tuesday from Somalia “massive international support” for the country, plunged into a serious humanitarian crisis and in the midst of a rebound in operations to fight Al Shabaab, linked to the organization Al Qaeda terrorist.
“I always visit Muslim countries during the holy month of Ramadan, fasting in solidarity and sharing ‘iftar’ — the meal with which the fast is broken –,” Guterres said on his Twitter account. “Today, I am happy to continue this tradition in Somalia,” he said, before thanking Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud for the “warm welcome.”
At a press conference with Sheikh Mohamud, Guterres stressed that his trip, the second since he was appointed UN Secretary General, “is a visit of solidarity”. “The president and I have discussed the valuable efforts of the Government to confront terrorism and advance peace and security for all,” he said, before “sounding the alarm” for “the need for massive international support” for the country.
Thus, he has argued that this support is necessary because of “the humanitarian difficulties that the country faces” and the need for support to “improve capacity at the security level” and for 2stabilization and development. to its worst series of five years of drought on record and I hope that the rain that is yet to come will last and help to address the very challenging situation caused by the drought,” he explained.
Guterres has lamented that “although the Somalis make practically no contribution to climate change, they are one of its biggest victims.” “Somalia contributes 0.003 percent to the emissions that cause climate change,” he specified, while detailing that “nearly five million people experience high levels of severe food insecurity.”
“Rising prices are making the situation worse. So I am calling on donors and the international community to step up their support to urgently fund the Humanitarian Response Plan 2023, which is currently only 15 percent funded. The Somali people deserve the solidarity of the international community”, he argued.
In this way, he stressed that the Somali people “deserve (help) to avoid malnutrition and displacement, save lives and avoid famine, but also to be able to launch a new stabilization and development process and build their capabilities to combat Al Shabaab even more efficiently than in the recent past.”
“In these difficult times, I want to applaud your energy and resilience and reiterate the unwavering support of the United Nations. We maintain our solidarity with the Somali people and government, for peace, security and sustainable development”, stressed the Secretary General of the International organization.
For its part, the Somali Presidency has indicated that both have held “productive discussions” and has added that the president “has thanked the head of the UN for this historic and supportive visit to Somalia in the midst of efforts to deal with humanitarian challenges and the acceleration of the war on terror”.
According to information collected by the Somali news agency SONNA, Sheikh Mohamud and Guterres have addressed issues of cooperation, debt relief, economic development, reconciliation and national security. “It is a visit to support the government and the democratic process in Somalia,” extolled the Somali president, who has stated that Guterres’ presence in Mogadishu is a sign of the “total commitment” of the UN to the Executive’s plans.
“We trust that the Somali people will be able to overcome the problems and challenges they still face through the completion of the country’s liberation and reconciliation,” said the Somali president, who stressed that the country “is making progress. “We are making progress. In terms of security, Somalia is freeing the country from the scourge of international terrorism, which has been present for a couple of decades,” he argued.
Somalia has increased offensives against Al Shabaab in recent months with the support of clans and local militias as part of a series of decisions taken by Sheikh Mohamud, who promised upon taking office to put the fight against terrorism at the center of his efforts to stabilize the african country.
The country is facing a serious humanitarian crisis exacerbated by drought and rising prices of basic products. According to data from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), some 43,000 people died in Somalia in 2022 due to the severe drought suffered by the African country, half of them children under the age of five years.
