Somalia President Hassan Sheikh lands in Baidoa in first trip outside Mogadishu

BAIDOA, Somalia - Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, the newly elected Somali president has today traveled to Baidoa, the interim administrative capital of Southwest, in his first trip outside the capital Mogadishu, since his re-election almost 15 days ago.

The president is accompanied by ministers, lawmakers, the presidential envoy for drought, and other senior officials on his visit to Southwest State, where he will hold talks with regional leader Abdiaziz Lafta-Garen on the political and humanitarian situations.

Southwest State has reported that Hassan Sheikh will be unveiling its new presidential palace on Tuesday. The beautiful building's photos have been making rounds in several social media platforms.

"The new building within the presidential palace which shall be unveiled on Tuesday by the top leadership in the country," Southwest's presidency reported in a tweet without giving many details about the trip.

The president's trip comes at a time the state is struggling to curb Al-Shabaab militants who still control huge swathes in the region and often carrying out sporadic attacks against innocent civilians and security forces within the country.

The regional leader Abdiaziz Lafta-Gareen was a staunch ally of the former President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo who lost his re-election bid on the May 15 election which was won by Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.

This indicates that the new president is keen to promote reconciliation in the country and months of antagonism from political elites in the country. After taking office, Sheikh Mohamud vowed to ensure he reconciles the country for the sake of stability.

Election delays in Somalia severely disrupted external budgetary support to Somalia. In 2020 Somalia received $180m. When election deadline was missed it fell to $38.4 million, further putting the new administration at crossroads should the trend continue.

Analysts argue that the incoming government should mobilise revenue generation, reach budget support agreement with IMF - FGC. The new president is yet to propose someone who will take over as Prime Minister and the leader of government business.

GAROWE ONLINE