The US has agreed to build five bases for Somalia’s military as part of efforts to rebuild the Horn of Africa nation’s army as the country recovers from years of civil war and battles militants, Somali president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and state media said on Thursday, February 15.
“On behalf of the Somali people, I would like to thank the US government for its constant support of Somalia in general and specially of the Somali armed forces,” the president said in a televised speech.
The US will build “five big and modern” bases for the Somali army, contributing to the rebuilding of Somalia’s military, he added.
It is unclear where the bases, which officials said will house a Somali army commando unit known as Danab, would be located.
The official Somali National News Agency said the agreement on the construction of the bases was signed by president Mohamud and Molly Phee, the US assistant secretary of state for African affairs.
Somali defence minister Abdulkadir Mohamed Nur said on X that the new bases will help “increase our military’s capability and strengthen their combat capability to counter terrorism”.
He thanked the US for its “constant support and commitment towards improving our security sector reforms”.
