Somalia’s Foreign Affairs Minister Abdusalam Omer Hadliye has asserted the IGAD heads of states summit will take place on Tuesday in Mogadishu amid reports the talks could be postponed on security grounds cited by some member countries. “The IGAD summit will take place tomorrow in Mogadishu as planned,” Hadliye told Goobjoog News.
Meanwhile Mogadishu’s main roads remains on lockdown for the fourth day. Security personnel have been deployed in main roads of the city forcing businesses to close and movements among residents limited. President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud yesterday appealed to the public to bear with the situation and cooperate with security forces to ensure the Summit is conducted successfully.
The summit will be historic for Somalia as it will be the first one in about three decades. Hadliye has indicated the summit is an endorsement of the country’s peace and stability and it will be instrumental in attracting investors to the Horn of Africa country. IGAD is an eight member trade bloc consisting of Somalia, Kenya, Sudan, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Uganda, Eritrea and Djibouti.