Donald Yamamoto, the United States Ambassador to Somalia, has said that his country will provide Somalia with all the financial support it needs to prepare for the upcoming elections. Nevertheless, he clarified that the US will not dictate to Somalis when to have those elections.
Ambassador Yamamoto said this during a virtual press conference conducted on Thursday. Despite saying this, the Ambassador urged Somalis to remember that it is critical for them to hold elections on time.
“Somalis will determine when to hold their elections. They are free to determine if there is need to delay the elections a bit,” said the Ambassador while answering a question regarding the likelihood of COVID-19 affecting how the country prepares for elections.
He added that the United States is only interested in offering to Somalia the best advice and support. Yamamoto said that the US government will only abide by the decisions that Somalis make regarding the upcoming elections.
Further, he said the United States has already committed $6 million towards running the Somalia elections. According to the ambassador, the United States is withholding close to $4 million, which will only be released once Somalis say what they want.