President Farmaajo departs to UAE to seek support against war on terror
Somali president Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo is leaving today to United Arab Emirates (UAE) to solicit their support on the war on terror his administration announced this month to flush out Alshabab entirely from Somalia.
Reports emerging from Villa Somalia indicate that president Farmaajo is expected to meet with the leaders of the UAE to discuss the bilateral relationship between the two countries touching on the sovereignty of Somalia for its people, land and sea.
It is hoped that the Somali leader will reiterate the neutral stand of Somalia regarding the diplomatic standoff in the gulf region, soliciting UAE participation in the war against Alshabab, facilitation of travels and visa applications among others to be also featuring on the cards according to Villa Somalia.
This is the second trip for president Farmaajo to the UAE following his initial one in April 2017.
The diplomatic rift in the Gulf Council corporation members between Saudi-led coalition plus Egypt and Qatari government in May 2017 resulted in the ostracisation of the latter and imposing land, sea and air embargo on the tiny rich Arab island nation.
Somalia took a neutral stand and continued proving airspace for Qatari flights.
The spillover of the diplomatic raw affected Somalia when its federal member states including Puntland, Galmudug and later Southwest took a contrast approach to the crisis by siding with Saudi-led allies which prompted a political tension in Somalia.
The political heat was diffused by the state president of Jubbland Ahmed Mohamed Islam ‘Madobe’ when he invited state presidents in a meeting in Kimayo in early October 2017 to deliberate the deteriorating political atmosphere in the country and develop a common ground to heal the rift with the federal government among others.
In response, president Farmaajo invited them late October to Mogadishu to a security meeting attended by the member state leaders and governor of Banadir where they buried their hatchets and released a united call to fight with Alshabab on all fronts with the help of Amisom troops.
Goobjoog News