The United States of America has appointed a new ambassador to serve in Somalia after more than 25 years.
Ambassador Stephen Schwartz has been sworn in Washington DC on Monday after the house of senate approved his nomination on May.
Deputy US secretary of state Anthony Blinken who was present at ambassador Schwartz swearing in ceremony has said that Somalia has made progress but still there is need for more to be done in the area of politics, reconciliation, justice, reconstruction and development.
Ambassador Schwartz appreciated the role of African Union peacekeeping troops in the horn of African state but stressed the need for strong Somali security forces to defeat armed group Alshabaab.
“It is the right time for Somali leaders to think about building of strong united Somali security apparatus that is capable of responding to threats and leading the fight against armed group Alshabaab,” he said.
United States has recognized Somali government in 2013 since the broke of the civil war in early 1990s.
US is helping Mogadishu in the fight against armed group Alshabaab through providing training and assistance to Somali special forces who have recently led successive security operations against senior Alshabaab officials.
