Mogadishu on lockdown as Somalia hosts Igad summit

Somalia’s capital Mogadishu is on lockdown ahead of Tuesday’s planned Igad summit.

President Hassan Mohamud said on Saturday that security in Mogadishu and the surrounding environs has been increased.

In an interview with VOA, Foreign Minister Abdisalam Omer Hadliye said the meeting marks an historic event for Somalia.

“It is the first time Mogadishu or Somalia in general hosts such a high-level summit for more than 30 years. We see it as a historic signal and message to the world saying, ‘Somalia is coming back,’” Hadliye said.

The summit is expected to centre on the political progress made in Somalia ahead of the nation’s elections in September and October.

Read: Ex-Somali envoy launches presidential bid ahead of October 30 polls

Also on discussion is the political crisis in South Sudan.

Leaders from Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan, Sudan, Djibouti, and Ethiopia are expected to attend.

Among the measures undertaken to ensure security for dignitaries is the closure of main roads.

This comes just two weeks after an attack claimed by al Shabaab near the presidential palace.