MOSCOW: Somali diplomats have said Russia had offered to help Somalia’s armed forces in their battle against the al-Shabab terrorist group.
According to Voice of America (VoA), the diplomats, who asked for anonymity because they weren’t authorised to speak to reporters, said Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had made the offer during talks with his Somali counterpart, Abshir Omar Jama, in Moscow. One diplomat said, “Russia was ready to provide Somalia’s military with army supplies, to strengthen the government fight against al-Shabab.”
The diplomats didn’t specify the kinds of equipment Russia was offering to Somalia, which is under a long-standing United Nations arms embargo.
The United Nations Security Council imposed the embargo in 1992 after the outbreak of civil war and factional violence. The embargo was partially lifted in 2013 to support Somalia’s security forces in fighting the militants.
Russia’s offer came hours after the al-Shabab militants’ group stormed the army base manned by African Union forces (AUF) from Uganda in Bulo Marer, an agricultural town in the Lower Shabelle region of Mogadishu.
At the opening of the negotiations between the two foreign ministers, Lavrov emphasized the long ties between the two countries, which goes back to the quick Soviet recognition of Somalia after it gained independence in 1960.
He said he and Jama would discuss preparations for the Africa-Russia summit in late July in St. Petersburg.
Diplomatic ties
Somalia and Russia have had fairly routine diplomatic relations, with Russia sending humanitarian aid to Somalia many times.
In May 2010, Somalia reacted angrily to the way Russian marines handled their rescue of a tanker, the MV Moscow University, that had been hijacked 560 kilometres off the coast of Yemen.
Russian media reported that 10 Somali pirates, who had taken the tanker and its crew hostage, were released on the open sea because there were no grounds to prosecute them in Russia.
Somali officials said the pirates never made it ashore and likely died at sea.
Somalia’s Foreign Ministry statement at the time warned that ties with Russia might be harmed over the incident and demanded an apology from the Russian government.
Since then, two Somali prime ministers, Omar Sharmarke and Hassan Ali Khaire, have met with top Russian authorities requesting assistance strengthening the Somali National Army.
