https://foreignpolicy.com/2019/12/1...ess-development-diplomacy-aid-world-bank-imf/
While securing debt relief for Somalia has been a policy priority for the United States for years, that plan could now be derailed because the State Department and Treasury Department didn’t inform lawmakers they should include authorization to write off Somalia’s debt before Congress finalized its spending bills, according to six current and former U.S. officials and congressional aides who spoke to Foreign Policyon the matter. Some believe it simply slipped through the cracks as the State Department scrambled to prepare its budget priorities with the White House.
“All along, I could not believe all we have invested in Somalia could be squandered over something so small and simple,” said one official.
U.S. Ambassador to Somalia Donald Yamamoto has privately considered quietly resigning if the U.S. government can’t resolve the issue, according to current and former officials familiar with the matter. Yamamoto is a career diplomat with extensive experience in Africa, who previously served as acting assistant secretary of state for African affairs under President Donald Trump from 2017 to 2018 before his current posting in Somalia. He did not respond to a request for comment for this story.
This is the face of a man who just lost 80% of his campaign funds.Khaire, the Somali prime minister who has closely cooperated with the United States on reform and security issues, could face steep political backlash in Mogadishu if the debt relief isn’t pushed through in time, some officials fear.