MOGADISHU [SMN] – On Sunday, US envoy to UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield landed in Mogadishu, the Somali capital, in what could be a rare visit by a such high-ranking American official.
She met with President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud in the Halane compound, where both discussed the ongoing offensive against Al-Shabaab and humanitarian aid assistance.
“President Hassan Sheikh and the US envoy talked about accelerating Washington’s commitment to the Somali government’s economic, humanitarian, and security initiatives,” said Villa Somalia.
Somalia has repeatedly called for the lifting of the UN arms embargo to rebuild the army and get sophisticated weapons to fight the Al-Shabaab militants.
Hassan Sheikh said he hoped Linda would support the Somali government’s plan to lift the embargo and raise the issue at the United Nations Security Council.
Linda Thomas-Greenfield has also announced that the US will provide additional aid costing $41 million to Somalia through USAID to respond to the current humanitarian crisis.
Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield was nominated by President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. to be the Representative of the United States of America to the United Nations as well as the Representative of the United States of America in the Security Council of the United Nations on January 20, 2021.
