President Farmaajo in maiden visit to Eritrea

Somalia President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo on Friday arrived in the Eritrean capital Asmara ahead of a 3 day state visit.

Farmaajo is in Eritrea under invitation by President Isaias Afwerki.

Eritrea says Somalia’s president will visit the country on Saturday as yet another rivalry in the Horn of Africa region may be coming to an end. Ethiopia and Eritrea have not had diplomatic relations for nearly 15 years.

Eritrea’s information minister announced the three-day visit of Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed on Twitter, saying it comes at the invitation of Eritrea’s longtime leader Isaias Afwerki.

There was no immediate comment from Somalia’s government.

Eritrea remains under United Nations sanctions after alleged support for the Somalia-based al-Shabab extremist group, which continues to hold rural parts of Somalia and carry out high-profile attacks in the capital, Mogadishu. Eritrea denies supporting armed groups such as al-Shabab but Somalia has viewed the country with suspicion.

The visit by Somalia’s leader follows a stunning diplomatic thaw in recent weeks between Eritrea and Ethiopia after more than two decades. Ethiopia under reformist new Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed already has asked that the U.N. sanctions on Eritrea, one of the world’s most reclusive nations, be dropped.

The U.N. secretary-general has indicated that the sanctions could be obsolete.

The changing relations in the Horn of Africa region are of interest to the wealthy Gulf states just across the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea. Already they have been jostling for influence in the African nations along one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes, including both Somalia and Eritrea.

The United Arab Emirates, which has a military base at Eritrea’s post of Assab, has played a role in the mending of relations between Eritrea and Ethiopia, this week hosting the leaders of both countries and praising their “bold” gestures.

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