| AL Jazeera English Africa | ||
| Ban Ki-moon lands in Somalia and announces plans to relocate UN's political office from Nairobi to Somali capital. Last Modified: 09 Dec 2011 11:47 | ||
Wearing a bullet-proof vest, Ban was welcomed by Abdiweli Mohamed Ali, the Somali prime minister, at the city's airport on Friday before making his way to the presidential palace. Al Jazeera's Peter Greste, reporting from Mogadishu, said the visit "was intended to underline just how much ground the UN-backed Transitional Federal Government [TFG] has made over the past year with the help of African Union peace keeping mission here". Following his arrival, Ban announced the relocation of the UN's political office, that handles Somalia, from Nairobi in Kenya to Mogadishu. "It [the move] is a very important statement of confidence in the capacity of TFG to try to maintain some degree of stability and security here," Al Jazeera's Greste said. Ban's brief visit comes after major gains by the TFG, amid a military offensive by Kenya against the rebel al-Shabab armed group. The UN chief met with Somali leaders and officials from the African Union force, who help defend the transitional government. "It [the TFG] doesn't even control the capital particularly well, I have to say. Security in this city is, by all means, not guaranteed," said Greste. "There are signs in fact that the government may have been losing its grip on security, as the number of explosive devices appeared to be increasing, and al-Shabab seem to be getting organised. "The government hold over the city is tenuous at best." Mogadishu fell into chaos in 1991 after its last president was ousted. Warlords then turned on each other, plunging the country into a near perpetual state of anarchy in the past two decades. After the failed US military intervention in 1993, the international community largely pulled out of Mogadishu. The city hosts no international embassies and very few Western aid workers. The UN's mission for Somalia has been based in neighbouring Kenya for several years. | ||
| Source: Al Jazeera and agencies | ||
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Friday, December 9, 2011
UN chief in surprise visit to Mogadishu
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