Somalia Defence Minister admits US-trained Danab officers sold food rations

MOGADISHU, Somalia - Somalia's Defence Minister Abdulkadir Mohamed Nur has conceded Danab Special Forces sold food rations donated by the government of the United States of America, a few days after the incident was addressed by the federal government of Somalia.

In an interview with Universal TV, Nur said that the theft of Danab rations was verified two weeks ago, and some of the officers involved were caught in the act about a week ago. Several officers have since been arrested over the theft.

He refused to give the number of people detained for the theft but admitted the rations were sold in the market. The government had announced the incident in a statement and pledged to 'deal' with those involved, including military officers.

Asked about the responsibility of what has happened, Nur said the responsibility is at a unit level. Danab commandos have been assisting in the fight against Al-Shabaab, a group fighting to topple the fragile UN-backed federal government of Somalia.

He claimed this incident happened at a time when the Somali government was already in the process of working on transferring responsibility for the logistics of the force. He confirmed US support for Danab continues except for rations.

The minister who was accused of spending ample time on his TikTok account, said he will not give up his TikTok, saying it’s a platform for delivering messages. He is a close ally of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.

The United States has been supporting Danab forces since 2017 when the unit was first formed to handle violent extremism. So far, over 3,000 elite troops have been trained by the United States, a dependable ally of the Federal Republic of Somalia.

GAROWE ONLINE