As Somalia moves toward normalising its place within the world community, Mogadishu has reforged its partnership with the United States, to include the presence of American boots on the ground inside the east African nation. To some, the thought of American troops in Somalia might conjure images of downed helicopters and protracted street combat. But times have changed since the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu, American and Somali officials said. “It’s not Black Hawk Down anymore,” Somalia’s ambassador to the U.S., Ali Sharif Ahmed, told the Washington Examiner. “Our relationship with the United States has never been so good.” “U.S. security assistance to Somalia is an important part of our efforts to work with the people and government of Somalia for peace and stability,” U.S. Ambassador to Somalia Donald Yamamoto said, noting that a secure Somalia means more stability in the entire region. “It also means that the people of Somalia will be able to better focus on building a prosperous future.”
The U.S. has taken a “whole of government” approach to supporting Somalia, government sources said, noting that theirs is part of an international effort. Recently, the World Bank restored relations with Mogadishu for the first time in 30 years. In February, the International Monetary Fund deemed the nation eligible, under the Enhanced Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative, to be relieved of its $5.3 billion debt. Debt relief would be momentous for Somalia, Ahmed said. “Somalia is a very rich place. But Somali resources have been locked up.” To be relieved of debt would allow the country to develop toward its goal of self-sufficiency, he said. Meanwhile, partnership persists…….
