British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond arrives in Somalia

British foreign secretary Philip Hammond arrived Mogadishu this Thursday as part of a three day security visit to East Africa.

The secretary met with Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mahmud and discussed with him the security and political development in the country.

Philip Hammond condemned yesterday Alshabab attack which killed at least 30 people including two lawmakers with dual British and Somali nationalities. “This week’s Al Shabaab attack is yet another reminder of the importance of the work we are doing to support Somalia and to increase security across the region” Said Hammond

The Secretary also praised the progress towards 2016 election “I was encouraged to hear from Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on the progress that has been made towards a more inclusive electoral process for August 2016. This will be a key step towards one-person, one-vote elections in 2020 and agreement of an overall Federal settlement, which is also crucial to Somalia’s future stability.”

The Foreign Secretary arrived in Mogadishu having spent the previous day in Addis Ababa in discussions with the Ethiopian government and the African Union. He encouraged the Ethiopian government to maintain its commitment to the Somali Federal Government to help them cement the gains made so far.