Somalia leader wants arms embargo lifted to fight al-Shabab

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USA defence secretary James Mattis, EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini, the presidents of Kenya and Uganda, the prime ministers of Ethiopia and Turkey, and the foreign ministers of Egypt, Germany, the Netherlands and Qatar also attended the conference, the third such meeting on Somalia to be held in London since 2012.

Guterres said the drought was Somalia's "most pressing priority" and appealed for an additional $900 million (828 million euros) by the end of the year to prevent it worsening into a starvation.

Kenyatta called for the provision of United Nations support to the Somali security forces in order to accelerate the AMISOM exit strategy.

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta called for joint cooperation against al-Shabaab group and support the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), to defeat and root out the militants in the coming two years. He said 275,000 malnourished children were at risk of starvation.

At the London Somalia Conference, the President said although AMISOM had made significant progress in checking terrorist activities and stabilising Somalia, there was still much to do before a planned AMISOM drawdown.

President Museveni has told the Heads of State and Government from across East Africa and other key partners, that Somalia must be helped to heal completely and stand on its own feet. "I can assure you that Somalia will never turn back".

"And when conditions allow, Somali troops will take over from their AMISOM allies", he wrote, referring to the African Union force in Somalia.

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The United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, is also in attendance.

"We have identified three main enemies in Somalia of the government and of the people.They are corruption, which has to do with governance".

"If Somalia is a foothold for terrorist groups. if global trade is hijacked by pirates in the Indian Ocean, or if millions are continually displaced in a desperate bid to escape poverty and drought", its impact is felt worldwide, she warned. He talked about a period of eight months or more.

Somalia has been mired in violent chaos since 1991 when warlords overthrew dictator Siad Barre and then turned against each other.

Analysts say the national army is also poorly equipped and underfunded.

The Conference will focus on the Somali security architecture that the federal government must agree with the federal member states including what the future of the Somali National Army should look like, and how to counter terrorism while protecting human rights.

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