Djibouti President Guelleh arrives in Mogadishu

Djibouti President Ismael Omar Guelleh on Wednesday arrived in the capital Mogadishu and was welcomed at the airport by his counterpart President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud. 

Guelleh is expected to take part in a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Intergovernmental Academy of Somali Language whose stone was laid by the two leaders in 2015. 

Key roads in Mogadishu remain closed and security tightened across the city, a common phenomenon when top foreign officials visit the country. 

Guelleh’s visit comes amid a successful offensive by government forces against Al-Shabaab terrorists in Hirshabelle and Galmudug states.

Djibouti is one of the countries contributing troops to the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) and are in charge of Sector 4 which covers Hiiraan and Galgaduud, the two regions where much of the offensive has taken place.