BERLIN (Reuters) – The German military will stop participating in a European Union training mission in Somalia at the end of March, a Foreign Ministry official said on Thursday, expressing frustration at the pace of progress.

Germany has about five soldiers taking part in the training mission alongside 15 from other EU countries. The decision to end Germany’s participation in the program, which began in 2010, was first reported by Der Spiegel magazine.
“The development of a Somali national army is moving forward only very slowly, in part due to deficits in political and institutional structures, as well as equipment gaps among trained Somali soldiers,” the ministry official said.

Berlin is now looking at how to bolster its engagement in civilian security in Somalia and supports a shift recommended by an EU strategic assessment to focus more on providing advisory help, a concept currently being discussed in Brussels.

The United States last year decided to suspend food and fuel aid for most of Somalia’s armed forces over corruption concerns.

Mohammed Ahmed Othman Al Hammadi, UAE Ambassador to Somalia, today met with Ahmed Isse Awad, the new Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Somalia.

The UAE ambassador conveyed the regards of H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, and his best wishes of success to the Somali minister in his new duties.

The Somali minister, during the meeting which was held in the UAE embassy premises here, commended the deeply-rooted relations between the two countries and their peoples, hailing the developmental projects carried out by the UAE in different fields in Somalia, and the support lent in particular to the Somali Foreign Ministry.

AL JAZEERA — Somalia has suffered countless bomb attacks over the years, but the twin explosions in Mogadishu three months ago were the largest ever, killing more than 500 people.

More than 1,500 children became orphans as a result of the attack in which many of the victims were parents.