A military team will be sent to the region to train Somali troops and
the UK will contribute to a £50 million international fund for the
state in the Horn of Africa. Ten million pounds would be allocated to
help it operate beyond the capital, Mogadishu. Another one and half
million pounds has been committed to building up an anti-piracy naval
force.
Another £14.5 millionwill be spent on addressing the issue
of abuse, including sexual violence, and counter-terrorism. Some of the
money will be spent refurbishing and expanding Mogadishu's central
prison.
Speaking at the end of an international conference on
Somalia David Cameron insisted that there was no realistic alternative
to getting involved in the affairs of a failed state which had become a
byword for instability and violence.
“To anyone who says this
isn't a priority or we can't afford to deal with it, I would say that is
what we've said in the past and look where it has got us — terrorism
and mass migration,” Cameron said.
“These challenges matter to
Britain - and to the whole international community. Why? Because when
young minds are poisoned by radicalism and they go on to export
terrorism and extremism, the security of the whole world is at stake.”
However,
the Somali security forces will have to be molded together from
disparate clan militias which have switched loyalties in the past and
have been accused of abuses including rape.
The UK is also working
with international partners with questionable reputations in Somalia.
Uhuru Kenyatta, the newly elected president of Kenya, a key ally, is
indicted for crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court
(ICC), was present at the conference at the invitation of Mr Cameron's
government.
Downing Street stressed that Kenya played a “vital”
role in Somalia with nearly 5,000 troops stationed there and it hosts
more Somali refugees than any other nation.