Renson Mwakandana
This is the first summit of its kind under President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud as Somalia brings together its neighbors in an effort to develop a coordinated strategy against Al-Shabaab insurgents.
William Ruto, the president of Kenya, Abiy Ahmed, the prime minister of Ethiopia, and Ismael Ghuelleh, the leader of Djibouti, were scheduled to attend a high-level conference in Mogadishu beginning on Wednesday.
Flights to the capital of Somalia were limited, and most businesses and educational institutions were halted. Defense ministers and commanders from Ethiopia, Kenya, and Djibouti arrived in Mogadishu on Tuesday.
The three are referred to as the frontline states of Somalia because they share direct borders with the country in the Horn of Africa. They are also members of the nations that provide troops to the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS), the peacekeepers that took the place of the previous African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom).
According to Daud Aweys, the minister of information for Somalia, the goal of the gathering is to launch a coordinated approach among the frontline governments in the Horn of Africa.
According to Minister Aweys, “Somalia hosts defense ministers and army commanders of the frontline states from Kenya, Djibouti and Ethiopia focusing on adopting of common regional security position, especially in the fight against Al-Shabaab.”
He continued to say that the meeting is important since Somalia’s neighbors are also impacted by the country’s present security crisis.
The agenda for discussions between the heads of state and the governments of the frontline countries will be decided by the defense ministers and army chiefs.
The leaders are anticipated to discuss a range of topics with the president of Somalia, including how to support the counterterrorism operations being carried out by local vigilante groups and Somali government forces, who have so far been successful in wresting control of sizable areas from Al-Shabaab.
A united statement encouraging the international community to support the easing of the embargo against the Somali National Army in order to allow it to defeat the terrorist threat is expected to be made public.
All participants in the meeting are anticipated to discuss the threats that Al-Shabaab poses to the area and to all of Africa.
