Foreign Minister Dr Abdirahman Duale Beyle says country’s leadership is split between fighting terror groups like Al Shabab on one side and working to build institutions.
Internal strife and prolonged civil unrest have pushed Somalia to the brink in the past few years. The country’s leadership is split between fighting terror groups like Al Shabab on one side and working to build institutions, improve public security and establish a powerful army.
“We are extremely positive of the international support and a lot of people have been interested in rebuilding Somalia. Many countries have spent their resources to help Somalia come out of its problems and regain stability to help us become a responsible member of the international community,” said Somali Foreign Minister Dr Abdirahman Duale Beyle.
In an interview with Khaleej Times, he shed light on the country’s efforts to rebuild itself. Excerpts:
How does Somalia plan to curb the threat posed by terrorist groups like Al Shabab?
Terrorism in Somalia is still rife. The government, national security forces and army is doing a great job with the help of the international community. However, we’re not out of the woods yet. Therefore, we are hoping that this struggle will come to its normal conclusion very quickly and soon. Somalia cannot deal with the threat from terrorism on its own at the moment. International involvement is very important and we have to continue hand in hand to address this fight together. It is a big collaborative effort which will help us reach our goal of stability.
How is Somalia planning to rebuild its education infrastructure?
Building schools is one side of the issue. While we believe it is important, we have to address the issue of educating youth who missed going to schools when piracy was at its peak. These children between the age of 10 and 17 years were used as a front for piracy. We are in serious discussions with other governments to develop an initiative where you give up your gun and go to school. Very soon, the first school will be established.
International partners like the UAE have assisted Somalia to improve the security situation. What are your expectations from the international community?
The UAE is already assisting Somalia with a presence in Mogadishu. Their support dates back to several years and we are just asking countries to realign their efforts. Anti-piracy efforts have borne fruits and the cost of piracy has been reduced to almost zero. We are simply asking the international community to help us in capacity building and address the plight of Somali youth.
Source: Al-khaleej Times
