Brussels, 09/09/2013 (Agence Europe) - On Monday 9 September, the EU decided to provide additional financial aid to the Mission of the African Union in Somalia (AMISOM). This new envelope, of €124 million, will help guarantee the operational capacity of the mission up to the end of the year and thereby to keep up the pressure on the Somali Islamist group Al-Shabbab. Although weakened, this group showed its colours on Saturday 7 September with a double attack in Mogadishu.
Financially supporting AMISOM equals contributing to a return of peace in Somalia - that is the calculation of the EU, which is one of the largest donors of funds. So far, it has sent €600 million. The additional €124 million has not been granted to reinforce the mission, but to maintain it. It will be used to cover “costs, including troop allowances for all AMISOM soldiers, police and civilian components of the mission, as well as operational costs of the mission headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya”, the European Commission has stated in the press release.
Although its soldiers have recently been accused of the gang rape of civilians in the Somali capital, the effectiveness of AMISOM's work to bring back a semblance of law and order to Somalia is unanimously agreed upon in Brussels. “AMISOM plays an essential role in supporting Somalia on its path towards stability and lasting peace”, said Andris Piebalgs, Commissioner for Development. Catherine Ashton said that the force is helping to “provide security and space for politics to occur and for the process of reconciliation to begin”. (JK/transl.fl)