Somali welcomes first US ambassador after 24 years

By Yassin Juma

MOGADISHU

The Somali government on Wednesday welcomed the nomination of a U.S. ambassador to the country – Somalia's first since 1991.

"On behalf of the Federal Government of Somalia and all Somalis, I welcome [U.S.] President Barack Obama's decision to nominate Katherine S. Dhanani as ambassador to Somalia," Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Sharmarke said in a statement.

Dhanani was nominated by Obama on Tuesday, but still must go through a vetting process by the U.S. Congress.

The nomination will come as a boost for Sharmarke's government and Somalia, which is emerging from years of political violence.

"This marks a very positive moment in Somalia's relationship with the U.S. as we work towards achieving security, stability and prosperity," Sharmake stated.

If her appointment is approved, Dhanani will be stationed in neighboring Kenya for security reasons, as Mogadishu still sees occasional attacks on foreigners.

The U.S. has not sent an ambassador to war-torn Somalia since civil war broke out in the Horn of Africa country in 1991.

Fractious Somalia has appeared to inch closer to stability, however, since government troops and African Union forces – deployed in the country since 2007 – drove the Al-Shabaab militant group from most of its strongholds.

Nevertheless, the militant group has continued to stage attacks on government forces and African Union peacekeepers.