A US official has told reporters that the US will officially recognise the Somali government, for the first time in over 20 years.
Assistant Secretary of State Johnnie Carson said that the news will be made official at a meeting between Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud tomorrow.
"When the secretary meets with Hassan Sheikh tomorrow, she will exchange diplomatic notes with him and recognise the Somali government in Mogadishu for the first time in 20 years," he told media.
A senior US official is reported to have told Reuters that new aid measures may be on the way.
"The fact that we recognise a government there will allow us to do things through USAID [US Agency for International Development] that we have not been able to do before.
"The fact that we recognise them as a legitimate government will allow the World Bank and the [International Monetary Fund] IMF to do things that they would not have been able to do before. This is major and it is significant."
We need your support
Sri Lanka is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a journalist. Tamil journalists are particularly at threat, with at least 41 media workers known to have been killed by the Sri Lankan state or its paramilitaries during and after the armed conflict.
Despite the risks, our team on the ground remain committed to providing detailed and accurate reporting of developments in the Tamil homeland, across the island and around the world, as well as providing expert analysis and insight from the Tamil point of view
We need your support in keeping our journalism going. Support our work today.
For more ways to donate visit https://donate.tamilguardian.com.
