Brussels, 22/04/2009 (Agence Europe) - Ahead of the international donors' conference for Somalia, convened in Brussels on Thursday 23 April by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon (EUROPE 9886), the European Commission announced on Wednesday that it would pledge at least €60 million to help boost security and stability in Somalia.
The Commission, which is the largest aid donor to Somalia, thus plans to set an example. Donors are invited to discuss how the international community can best contribute to stabilising Somalia, and one of the main aims is for donors to pledge to provide financial aid to the new Somali government under Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, a moderate Islamist, to make secure this country with a stateless society that is overcome by chaos engendering an increasing number of acts of piracy in the Gulf of Aden and in the Indian Ocean. (A.N./transl.jl)