During the trip of US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to Africa, the imperialist nation has pledged even more military assistance to prop-up the transitional government in Somalia.
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12:24 Mecca time, 09:24 GMT
Clinton to address Somalia conflict
Somalia's latest government has come under attack from Islamist fighters
Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, is due to meet with Somalia's president to discuss how to stabilise the war-torn country battling with Islamist fighters.
The interim government of Sheikh Sharif Ahmed, backed by an African peacekeeping force, has come under attack from groups including al Shabaab, which want to impose their interpretation of Islam across the country.
Clinton is expected to promise financial aid, including shipments of weapons, to the Horn of Africa nation at talks in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital, on Thursday.
"We know we're facing a very difficult conflict, and we also know that the presence of al Shabaab and terrorist elements within Somalia poses a threat," she said ahead of the meeting.
"It poses a threat to Kenya, poses a threat to the stability of Africa and beyond. So this is an area where we're going to work even more closely together," she added.
Increasing fear
Al Jazeera's Mohammed Adow said: "It continues to be hell for the people who live in Mogadishu [the Somali capital].
"Violence and continued violence is the norm on the streets.
"People are increasingly becoming fearful of continuing to live in their houses ... and they are only reliant on a trickle of aid."
The US has already offered military aid to Mogadishu, including more than 40 tonnes of ammunition and training for security forces.
Somalia has suffered from lawlessness and violence since 1991, when the country descended into civil war.
Ahmed, who was elected in January under a UN-brokered process, is part of Somalia's 15th attempt to set up a central government in nearly two decades.
Clinton's meeting with the president is also expected to tackle a rise in piracy off Somalia's coast, where vital shipping lanes connecting Asia and Europe have become the target of hijackers claiming millions of dollars in ransom.
Al-Qaeda 'proxy'
Earlier this week Australian police said they had uncovered a plot to attack an army base in Sydney by men with alleged links to al Shahaab.
Washington has accused the group of being al Qaeda's proxy in Somalia.
Earlier on Thursday Clinton visited a memorial in Kenya honouring 236 people killed in the 1998 attacks on US embassies there and in Tanzania.
The US says some of those behind the attacks, which were linked to al Qaeda, are sheltering in Somalia.
The US secretary of state, who is on a seven-nation trip in Africa, said earlier that the growth of business and trade on the continent depends on good governance and solid democracy.
'Good business'
Clinton told regional leaders on Tuesday at a conference in Nairobi that political transparency would provide the basis for economic growth.
"True economic progress in Africa will depend on responsible governments that reject corruption, enforce the rule of law and deliver results for their people," she said.
"This is not just about good governance - it is also about good business."
Mwai Kibaki, Kenya's president, and Raila Odinga, the country's prime minister, were present at the conference, which was examining a US trade law aimed at boosting US imports of products made in Africa.
But Clinton criticised Kenya's leadership for not implementing reforms that formed the basis of a power-sharing deal agreed after deadly post-election fighting in 2007, in which at least 1,000 people were killed in clashes between supporters of Kibaki and Odinga.
Kenya is the first stop on Clinton's seven-nation tour of Africa. She is set to visit South Africa, Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria, Liberia and Cape Verde.
Source: Agencies
Top U.S diplomat to hold talks with Somali leader
http://www.chinaview.cn
2009-08-06 19:15:59
NAIROBI, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- Visiting U.S Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is due to hold talks with Somali President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed in Kenya's capital, Nairobi on Thursday.
A statement from the U.S. embassy in Nairobi said the meeting signals Washington's determination to bolster support for the Somali transitional government, which has been fighting hard-line Islamic insurgents.
Clinton is expected to confirm U.S. backing for the Western-backed transitional government which has been facing daily onslaught from Al-Shabaab militia group and spell out ways of stabilizing the lawless nation.
"The Secretary intends to underscore the United States firm support for the TFG, the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM),and international efforts to stabilize Somalia," the statement said.
The Al-Shabaab and other local militia groups which control large swathes of Somalia have refused to recognize the government and have vowed to overthrow the administration to institute the strictest form of Sharia law.
"The Secretary will also emphasize the U.S. commitment to addressing the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Somalia," the statement said.
Speaking early this week in Mogadishu, President Ahmed said the meeting will seek to strengthen bilateral relations between Washington and the Horn of Africa nation.
"Our aim is to strengthen the bilateral relations between Somalia and the United States, the cooperation of the two sides in the political and security spheres, and the support of the Somali government on the economic and humanitarian fronts," Ahmed told journalists in Mogadishu.
Ahmed described his upcoming meeting with Clinton who is on a seven-nation African tour, as a "precious opportunity" to discuss the relations between the United States and Somalia.
Ahmed who has the backing of western nations said the Somali people were "now prepared to avail the "precious opportunity" presented by the growing close relationship with the U.S..
The Thursday's meeting comes after Washington said it has would increase its military assistance to Somalia to help the transitional government restore sanity and the rule of law in the war-ravaged Horn of Africa.
Clinton is reportedly expected to pledge more financial assistance, including additional shipments of weapons to enable the Horn of Africa nation stamp its authority.
Al-Shabaab now effectively controls almost the entire south and central portions of Somalia except for few pockets run by Hezbul Islam, which also partly controls the central Somali town of Beledweyn, the last stronghold of pro-government forces in central Somalia.
President Ahmed, a former geography teacher and Islamic scholar, was the widely respected leader of a movement of Islamist courts that briefly took power in 2006, who came into office early this year.
Somalia has been without an effective government after longtime President Mohamed Siad Barre was overthrown in 1991.
Editor: Deng Shasha
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