The US is pouring millions into Somalia

The US government’s top official in charge of foreign aid to Somalia’s capital on Monday to a large humanitarian assistance package, calling it a “necessary evil” for the drought-and-conflict-plagued country where the American military is committed in counterterrorism offensives for almost 30 years.

Administrator Mark Green also reopened to the US Agency for International Development, or USAID, which was closed in 1991.

In a meeting where he has echoed the skepticism of the Trump administration, Somalia off donor money. The package he announced Monday was $ 185 million, only part of this year’s total. Last year, USAID gave Somalia $ 441 million.

“The purpose of USAID’s existence is to end up,” said Green , using a refrain that has become common among high-ranking American humanitarian officials since Trump’s election .

The United States has been Somalia’s largest donor for a long time, but it’s not enough.

The East African country is climate-driven and man-made calamity. Persistent drought and the brutal tactics of al-Shabab have left 1 in 5 Somalis homeless. About the same number in everyday life of food aid. Less than a third of the population is literate, and even fewer have access to clean water. Two-thirds of people under 30 are unemployed.

In a testament to the country’s debilitating problems, the USAID announcement and a meeting of some of its local recipients is held within the fortified international airport.

Many Somalis share the hope that one day can not be missed.

“We need a Marshall Plan, not just money and food and weapons,” said Abdiwahab Sheikh Abdisamad, who runs a political consultancy. “Invest big now and you will save in the future. Focus on training our army, building our institutions. America can still be Somalia ‘s hero, its big brother. But the current strategy is not making our problems go away . “

A mile from the airport, ashen debris from yet another suicide attack in Mogadishu littered a busy intersection, where local police officials say al-Shabab carried out twin suicide attacks that killed 11 on Saturday. The same day, al-Shabab militants across the border in Kenya killed at least eight police officers with an improvised explosive device.

Since the beginning of this year, al-Shabab has carried out 593 attacks of various kinds, killing 1,155 people, according to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project, which monitors global conflict. The US military’s unmanned drones are the main force operating against al-Shabab , as they have been able to face al-Shabab in battle .

The US government expends massively on military ordnance in Somalia in addition to its humanitarian assistance. Since President Trump relaxed rules of engagement in Somalia in March 2017, when he declared the southern part of the country an “area of ​​active hostilities,” the pace of airstrikes has been a constant uptick.

Last year, a record 47 strikes were carried out. In the first six months of this year, there were 44 airstrikes, killing 298 militants according to US Africa Command. US drones fly from bases within Djibouti.

Recent reports from the United States and the United States of America have been translated into English by the United States of America.

The United States also has around 500 troops in the country that often accompany the Somali army and special operations forces on ground raids. An African Union-sponsored coalition has more than 20,000 troops in Somalia, some of which engage in combat, while most are tasked with peacekeeping.

At the meeting of aid agencies heads, George Conway, a top official in Somalia, thanked Green for the help and assertion that it has not been possible. Green credited with the need for the money, and why not more money?

“The way I see it, food security is not a humanitarian issue. What are we doing about improving technology, for instance? “Green asked. “I’m not pushing for less – I’m arguing for others to do more.”