Somalia: Farmajo meets UAE-trained soldiers following infighting

MOGADISHU, Somalia – Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo met with the UAE-trained soldiers at the Defense Ministry Headquarters in Mogadishu on Tuesday night, Garowe Online reports.

The President has held talks with 270 officers, including Special Forces, where he discussed with them on the recent clash between two rival groups from Somali army at former UAE-run General Gordan military base.

Farmajo said the government pardoned the soldiers who involved in the infighting on Monday which left at least six soldiers dead and nearly ten others wounded. He called for calm at the camp and collaboration in the army.

The deadly clash broke out after units from Somali National Army [SNA] tried to break into the armoury and steal the military hardware left by Emirati trainers.

Early, Somali military officials said they had detained a number of soldiers who attacked the training centre tried to remove military items from military barracks last Monday, April 23. 

Meanwhile, the President who is also the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces has reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to take shoulder responsibility of paying salaries for the soldiers regularly.

The meeting came barely a week after Somali Government has announced it has taken over the training facility from the UAE trainers who left Mogadishu due to the diplomatic tension between the two countries.

The Gulf nation suspended its training mission in Somalia early this month after Somali security forces seized $9.6 millions of dollars in cash and temporarily held a UAE civilian aircraft at Mogadishu airport April 8.

The UAE has condemned the move and said the money was destined to support Somali army as per a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on military cooperation, signed between the two countries in November 2014.

GAROWE ONLINE