President Rawlings Visits Injured Amisom Soldiers

Ghana¹s former President and African Union High Representative for Somalia, Flt Lt Jerry John Rawlings, on Wednesday visited injured soldiers of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) at the Aga Khan University Hospital in Nairobi.

Accompanied by former ECOMOG Force Commander General Arnold Quainoo, doctors at the hospital, AMISOM and United Nations officials, President Rawlings interacted with the injured and congratulated them for their bravery. President Rawlings also expressed his intention to seek a review of the compensation package for injured AMISOM troops to serve as motivation and match their conditions to internationally acceptable standards. President Rawlings was in Nairobi to participate in a technical meeting on AMISOM requirements, which took place on March 7 and 8.

AMISOM troops and Transitional Federal Government (TFG) forces have for the past few weeks been engaged in fierce battles with the Al-Shabab group, pushing the insurgents back and expanding their control in the Somali capital.

Al-Shabab has been fighting AMISOM and Somali government forces for the control of Mogadishu.

Earlier on Wednesday President Rawlings met members of the European Union delegations in Kenya and Somalia to seek support for AMISOM¹s vision of seeking long-lasting peace in Somalia.

He told the ambassadors that: ³Even as we mobilize resources for AMISOM to tackle the rebels and mercenary elements who are fighting with more sophisticated weaponry and creating an atmosphere of insecurity and fear it has to be said that we are not in this business to fight a war but to seek and enforce peace. I will therefore continue to do everything within my power to offer overtures to the factions in Somalia for talks towards lasting peace.²