Western governments publicly back Somalia’s ‘moderate Islamist’ government but have not disbursed the promised funds. The Transitional Federal Government (TFG), now besieged in its capital by Al Shabaab, is pressuring donors to pay nearly all its budget. It said it would close its embassies in Africa, Europe and Asia; exceptions will include Ethiopia, Washington and New York. Last April, the United Nations, African Union and European Union jointly pledged over US$250 million in aid. In December, President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed said no more than $3 mn. had arrived.
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