Office of the Somali Prime Minister
Monday, March 17, 2014
Following the liberation of eight key towns from Al-Shabaab by the Somali National Army with support from AMISOM, ministers today visited the newly liberated areas to access the needs of the people.
Minister of Defence, Mohamed Sheikh Hassan Hamud, and the Interior Minister, Abdullahi Godah Barre, today visited Hudur town to access the needs of the area and the roll out of government stabilisation plans. In the short-term there is an urgent need for humanitarian assistance, specifically food and water, and in the longer-term the rebuilding of local infrastructure.
Up to three million people live in the districts and regions impacted by ongoing military operations and government stabilisation plans are now being implemented to support and revive local services.
Minister of Defence, Mohamed Sheikh Hassan Hamud: “I want to thank and praise the bravery of the Somali National Army and our AMISOM brothers in liberating Hudur and vast amounts of people and territory in the last two weeks. They have freed these people from the horrors and oppression of life under Al-Shabaab.
“We had a very warm welcome from over 2,000 people here in Hudur today, where we carried out an assessment of the security and humanitarian situation on the ground.
“Like all of us the people of Hudur demands are basic - they want their local institutions to be up and running again and infrastructure rebuilt. But right now there is a critical need for food aid to be delivered to towns liberated from Al-Shabaab. Government stabilisation plans are already being rolled out to deliver local infrastructure and revive local services.
“Al-Shabaab is on the run and we will keep pursuing them until they have nowhere left to hide in Somalia.”
Source: Office of the Somali Prime Minister