Muqdisho (KAAB TV)- The European Union said that it has approved 116.9 million US dollars for measures to stabilise Somalia.
The funding, approved by the Council of the European Union’s Political and Security Committee on Tuesday, would facilitate the transition of the Somali National Army (SNA) and the military component of the African Union Transitional Mission in Somalia (ATMIS), said to the EU.
The European Union said that it will add $74.4 million to the resources that were set aside for ATMIS in past years, as well as $42.5 million for XDS.
“Both actions aim to contribute to the transfer of security responsibility from ATMIS to SNA by allowing the former to fulfil their obligations while strengthening the capacity of the latter,” the European Union stated in a in a statement issued on Tuesday evening.
ATMIS began removing its forces from Somalia in 2023, in compliance with a UN Security Council resolution passed the year before.
ATMIS completed the first and second phases of the 5,000-troop reduction and handed over 13 military bases to Somali security forces.
An additional 4,000 soldiers are anticipated to leave by the end of June.
According to the EU, the agreed-upon help will mostly go towards the provision of ATMIS forces, while the XDS forces will focus on the provision of non-lethal equipment.
Since 2007, the European Union has made the largest direct contribution to ATMIS, totaling nearly 2.87 billion dollars.