Somalia Ministers of Foreign Affairs said that Russia has promised to help Somalia’s armed forces in their fight against Al-Shabab.
The diplomats, who asked not to be named because they were not allowed to talk to reporters, said that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov made the request during a conversation with his Somali counterpart, Abshir Omar Jama Haruse in Moscow.
Read: Somalia’s president Hassan Sheikh history of corruption 2012-2017
Read: Why is Somalia an unfortunate country?
One of the diplomats said, “Russia is ready to provide military supplies to the Somali army, to strengthen the government’s fight against Al-Shabab.”
Read: Exclusive: Somalia President Hassan Sheikh intends to sell embassy properties
The diplomats did not specify the types of resources that Russia is offering to Somalia, while Somalia is under a long-term UN arms embargo.
The UN Security Council imposed these sanctions in 1992 after the outbreak of civil war and sectarian violence.
The sanctions were partially lifted in 2013 to help Somalia’s security forces fight terrorist groups.
The Russian request came hours after Al-Shabab attacked a military base of the Ugandan African Union forces in Buulo Mareer area in the Lower Shabelle region, about 110 km south of Mogadishu.