Ameerah Haq, the United Nations's (UN) Under Secretary General for Field Missions today (13 November) made her first visit to Somalia, and congratulated the newly elected President Sheikh Mohamud on the country's recent political accomplishments.
Haq met with the president in Mogadishu at the Villa Somalia where they had discussions on nation building and the security situation in the country.
SOUNDBITE (English), Ameera Haq, Under Secretary General for the Department of Field Support, United Nations:
"This is a great moment of hope for Somalia, a new government is installed, a new parliament is installed, I think today or tomorrow the parliament will meet with the cabinet and it was a great opportunity to speak to him about what he sees as the realization of the nation building here in Somalia, his plans for development, his plans and concerns about security and what the immediate short term, but building short-term into the medium and long-term goal."
For over two decades, Somalia was engulfed in civil war, which left hundreds of thousands killed. In 2007 the African Union Mission in Somalia was formed with the backing and support of the United Nations. The troops from Uganda, Burundi, Djibouti and Kenya have been battling Al-Shabaab militias and have pushed them out of most of the major cities in the country.
SOUNDBITE (English), Ameera Haq, Under Secretary General for the Department of Field Support, United Nations:
"We will continue to provide the support to AMISOM, we discussed really the credit that goes to AMISOM with respect to the great price that they have paid in the loss of lives to bring Somalia to where it is now."
During her visit Haq also met with the head of UN political Mission to Somalia, SRSG Mahiga and AMISOM Deputy Force Commander Maj-Gen Simon Karanja together with mission personnel from UNSOA, the field support operations whose mandate it is to deliver a logistics capacity support package to AMISOM.
She took a tour of the compound and had an opportunity to talk to the personnel who have contributed to the success of the mission.
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