Sherman visited Somalia to underscore US support for stability

Under Secretary of State for political affairs Wendy Sherman visited Somalia on Sunday to underscore US commitment to stabilization efforts in the country. The State Department said in a statement that Sherman visited Mogadishu and met with Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mahamud and with the Speaker of the Federal Parliament Mohammed Osman Jawari. The statement noted that Sherman is "the highest ranking US official to visit Somalia in more than twenty years, and her visit underscored the US Government's commitment to Somalia's stabilization efforts". The US official also met with African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) Force Commander Lieutenant General Andrew Gutti, the United Nations Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary General for Somalia, and leaders of Somalia's civil society and business community. Sherman "welcomed the announcement by Somalia's Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon that he has named his new cabinet" and said the U.S. was pleased that it included two women, which is "a positive reflection of the important role women play in all aspects of Somali life". The Somali Parliament is expected to meet soon to consider the new cabinet. Sherman also urged the Somali leadership "to continue to consolidate gains by helping local governance structures emerge through community dialogue and reconciliation, rapidly providing services" in addition to "drafting legislation to facilitate implementation of the provisional constitution adopted in August, and addressing al-Shabaab defectors and the charcoal stockpile in the port city of Kismayo".