Wednesday September 20, 2023
Mogadishu (HOL) - Somali Deputy Prime Minister Salah Ahmed Jama launched the Somalia Emergency Preparedness and Response Assessment, along with the NEOC Investment Requirements Report, in Mogadishu on Wednesday.
Mr. Jama emphasized the project's vital role in the fight against the al-Shabab group and called upon the Somali people to contribute significantly to achieving stability in the country.
"The Khawarij have a history of destroying public service facilities, such as health, water, and education facilities. Therefore, the Dan Qaran government is prioritizing stabilizing areas liberated from the Khawarij and resetting displaced people as part of our strategy against them," he added.
The project, a collaboration between the National Disaster Management Agency (SODMA) and the World Bank, aims to address the urgent needs of the armed forces and local communities actively engaged in military operations against al-Shabab, according to the Office of the Prime Minister.
The ongoing military offensive comes as the African Union Transmission Mission, or ATMIS, in Somalia, announced the start of the second round of a planned troop withdrawal.
Burundian troops this week handed over their base in the town of Biyo Adde in the Middle Shabelle region to government forces, the first of 10 forward operating bases to be transferred.
The new drawdown will see the reduction of the AU peacekeeping force to 13,586 soldiers by the end of September. The first round of the drawdown was concluded in June, and 2,000 troops left the country.