Somalia has received €27 million from the European Union (EU) to fight the scourge of COVID-19 in the country.
Nicolas Berlanga Martinez, EU’s Envoy to Somalia, made this announcement during a meeting held in Hargeisa with Civil Society Organizations in Somaliland.
Berlanga said 55.5 percent of the funds would go into budgetary support. Benadir region would receive 20.4 percent of the funds to support efforts aimed at curtailing the spread of COVID-19.
In the meantime, 24.1 percent of the donation would fund informational and infrastructural support the country needs to create awareness about the virulent disease.
However, Somaliland is not exempted from the donation, as Berlanga announced that it is set to receive €10 million.
The EU Envoy to Somalia requested the Civil Society Organizations to check with the Federal Government of Somalia to ascertain that Somaliland receives its allotted share.
Nevertheless, the civil societies were shocked to see Berlanga later tweeting that Somaliland would not be receiving a share of the donation.
The news is likely to receive a backlash in Hargeisa, which has been at loggerheads with Mogadishu for decades since breaking from Somalia in 1991.