Mogaushu — The US government has praised President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud for taking important steps to meet the UN sanctions criteria.

The US Ambassador to Somalia, Larry André, said that arms control is helping Somalia to ease the requirements of the UN Security Council to lift the sanctions against the country.

"We welcome the commendable progress of the Federal Government of Somalia in the management of weapons and stockpiles. The amendments made to the current resolution reflect that progress and recognition of the work that Somalia continues to do," said the US ambassador.

The ambassador said that the US government remains committed to continuing to support Somalia and to ensure that Somali forces receive the weapons they need to defeat al-Shabaab while reducing the risk of weapons falling into the wrong hands.

"For example, in the last five years, with the great cooperation we have with the HALO Trust and the Somali Security Forces, we have disposed of 15 tons of obsolete, unusable, and unstable ammunition. Our partnership has trained more than 225 employees, and management of the reserve to ensure that the facilities are used safely and effectively, according to international best practices," the statement added the ambassador. Larry André.

The American ambassador made this statement at the Conference on Arms Management, which was held in Mogadishu on Wednesday along with the national security advisor.