NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan. 8 (UPI) -- The United States, the European Union and Africa have pledged money and military support to Somalia at a contact group meeting in neighboring Kenya.
Two weeks after Ethiopian and Somali troops routed an Islamist group that seized Mogadishu in June, the officials met in Nairobi to discuss how to support and shore up the newly restored government, Kenya's Daily Nation reported Monday.
U.S. assistant secretary of State for African Affairs, Dr. Jendayi Frazer, announced the United States would provide $14 million for peace keeping and another $10 million for development and reconstruction of Somalia, the report said. Frazer also announced another $11.5 million in food aid through the World Food Program and $4 million in other forms of assistance to Somalia.
Kenyan Foreign Affairs minister Raphael Tuju, who chaired the meeting, said Kenya would not be sending troops to Somalia, and details remained to be worked out which countries would contribute to the peacekeeping force.
Ethiopia has said it could afford to sustain troops in Somalia for several weeks, but not for an open-ended commitment.
