Nairobi, Kenya, Feb 1- President William Ruto is in Somalia’s Capital Mogadishu for a joint Heads of State and Government summit convened by his East African counterpart Hassan Mohamud as part of efforts to strengthen regional security cooperation and tackle violent extremism in the region.
The plane carrying President Ruto touched down in Somalia on Wednesday morning as security forces tightened security in Mogadishu.
The Head of State was accompanied by Defence Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale.
Also present is Ethiopia’s Abiy Ahmed and Ismail Guelleh (Djibouti) in the event that will see the four Heads of States discuss among other issues the rising threat of terrorism posed by the Al-Qaeda linked terrorist outfit Al-Shabaab that continue to wreak havoc across the Horn of Africa.
On Tuesday, defence ministers and chiefs of defence forces of Ethiopia, Kenya and Djibouti arrived in Mogadishu.
Kenya, Ethiopia and Djibouti are collectively referred as Somalia’s frontline states with direct borders and they are both the members contributing troops to the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS).
Kenya and Somalia have suffered the brunt of terrorist attacks from the Al-Shabaab militants resulting to loss of lives and displacement of people from parts of Somalia.
Kenya’s North Eastern and Coastal region have been worst hit by the attacks due to a vast and porous borders that have made it easy for the Shabaab militants to gains access into the country.
Since taking office in May last year, President Hassan Mohamud launched a major offensive against the Shabaab militants that has seen parts of Somalia liberated from the hands of the terrorists.
