Somalia: UN Chief arrives in Mogadishu on second visit

MOGADISHU, Somalia Oct 29, 2014 (Garowe Online) –United Nations Head Ban Ki-moon along with World Bank President Jim Yong Kim and Islamic Development Bank Chairman Ahmed Mohamed Ali has arrived in war-torn Somalia on second visit on Wednesday as the country is up in arms over divided leadership, Garowe Online reports.

Ban unlike 2011 trip to Somalia, decked out himself for his second visit, taking stroll over a red carpet leading from UN-branded plane to once bullet-riddled facilities in Adan Adde international airport without bullet-proof vest.

Before waving to scores of government officials, UN Chief inspected honor guard staged by African Union peacekeepers.

According to a joint press statement, Ban said: “Somalia is on the right track and I am confident that its people will rise to the challenges its country still faces. We are here to tell Somalis that they are not alone”.

Speaking about the Somalia recovery from two-decades of bloody stalemate, World Bank Group President Kim stressed that Political stability and human security are important pre-requisites for reducing extreme poverty.

Later today, he will inaugurate a new complex meant for United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM), and will also hold talks with President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud who wants to call the tune, Prime Minister Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed Mohamed and Parliament Speaker Mohamed Sheikh Osman Jawari.

UN Secretary-General is expected to pay visit to the world’s largest refugee camp, Dadaab which hosts tens of thousands of Somali refugees.

GAROWE ONLINE