African Press Organization
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Today the EU has decided to provide additional support of €33 million
to the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), which plays an
essential role in securing the country on its path towards lasting
peace, prosperity and stability.
The renewed EU support will allow AMISOM to continue to fulfil its
mandate and to reach its total strength of 17,731 troops as authorised
by the UN. The EU’s support covers costs such as troop allowances, costs
of the police and civilian component of the mission, and operational
costs of the mission headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya.
Andris Piebalgs, EU Commissioner for Development said: “AMISOM
continues to play a critical role in establishing a safer and more
secure environment in Somalia to the benefit of the Somali people and
the development of the country as a whole. The EU is committed to
continue its support to Somalia to help Somalis to overcome the
remaining challenges not only in the field of peace and security but
also for example by improving food security, strengthening the rule of
law and creating better schools for children”.
High Representative Catherine Ashton said: “Supporting AMISOM is a
key element of the EU’s comprehensive approach to Somalia, assuring the
security necessary for the Federal Government of Somalia to provide
governance, re-establish the rule of law and provide basic social
services to the people. AMISOM will remain important as Somalia, with
support from the EU and other partners, develops its own capabilities
necessary to assume responsibility for the country’s security. Following
the appointment of the new President and government last August, the EU
remains committed to supporting Somalia further develop its new,
permanent political order which includes finalising the Constitution in
the run up to future general elections.”
This new funding amounts to €33 million and brings the overall EU
contribution to over €444 million since 2007. Since late 2011,
substantial progress has been achieved, as AMISOM, the Somali National
Security Forces and troops aligned to the Somali Government have
regained control of most of the capital of Mogadishu and other parts of
the country.
Background
AMISOM is an African Union-led mission, mandated by the UN Security
Council. Its initial mandate includes the provision of support to
dialogue and reconciliation in Somalia, the protection of key
infrastructure (e.g. government buildings and Mogadishu International
Airport) to enable the Transitional Federal Institutions (TFIs) – whose
mandate expired in August 2012 when the Federal Government of Somalia
was established to carry out their functions. The mandate also includes
support to the implementation of the National Security and Stabilisation
plan, and to disarmament and stabilisation efforts, as well as the
facilitation of humanitarian operations.
Since its beginning, the EU has been one of the main funders of the
operation, both through the African Peace Facility (APF), which is the
EU’s main instrument to support Peace and Security in Africa, and
through bilateral contributions of its Member States. The EU trains
Somalia’s national security forces through its Training Mission (EUTM
Somalia) under its Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP). Through
this mission, the EU aims to help develop Somalia’s security sector to
ultimately hand over security responsibility to Somalis.
The mission is also contributing to the Africa-EU partnership on
peace and security of the Joint Africa-EU Strategy (JAES). The strategy,
adopted at the Lisbon Summit in December 2007, remains the overarching
policy framework for EU-Africa relations. The JAES puts EU-Africa
relations on a new footing, based on the pursuit of shared values and
common interests. Both sides are determined to strengthen their
cooperation as equal partners, based on this shared long-term vision for
EU-Africa relations in a globalised world.
EU development aid to Somalia
European development cooperation in Somalia is designed to put in
place minimum conditions for a functioning state, peace and security, as
well as to provide basic services to the population. The EU’s efforts
already achieved substantial results, such as:
In education: more than 30.000 students gained access to primary and secondary education and 4.000 teachers were trained.
In water and sanitation: ongoing projects aim to provide access to
safe water for up to 70.000 people and over 80.000 with basic
sanitation.
For the period 2008-2013, the EU is allocating approximately €412 million to development projects in Somalia:
Governance (including support to institution building,
reconciliation, rule of law, human rights and support to Somali civil
society).
Education and the social sector (including primary and secondary
education, adult literacy and teacher and vocational training). Funding
also goes to improving access to safe water in urban and rural areas.
Economic development, including support to the livestock and
agriculture sector and to improve food security; mainly through the
distribution of seeds and fertilisers, as well as cash transfer systems.
This is complemented by EU funded projects on maritime security, water
resources management and de-mining in the liberated areas (€102
million).