Somalia president accused of trading troops for UAE funding amid al Shabaab crisis

Tuesday September 1, 2015

A Somalia diplomat has accused President Hassan Mahamoud of allowing the UAE to train the country’s soldiers to go to war in Yemen, instead of fighting al Shabaab.

The diplomat, who requested anonymity, said he had to travel to Nairobi to speak to the media about the issue as he fears for his life.

“I have to tell the whole world to know what is happening. Whereas Amisom troops are fighting al Shabaab insurgents, Somali soldiers will be fighting in Yemen and the whole world has to know,” he said.

Speaking at a Nairobi Hotel on Monday, he said there could be more than 500 troops receiving training to fight alongside UAE forces.

“The president is doing this in order to get funding from UAE to defend a motion against him currently in Parliament,” the diplomat said.

“Why would the Somali soldiers be sent to Yemen to fight while security in the homeland is a big challenge?”

Somalia, where there has been a civil war for the last 24 years, has sought intervention from other African countries under the Amisom banner to send troops to fight the terror group and maintain stability under the federal government.

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