Hiiraan Online
Sunday, February 22, 2015
BELEDWEYNE (HOL) ---Djibouti's president accompanied by his Somalia counterpart visited the African Union forces based in central Somalia town fighting the Al-Qaeda-linked militants on Sunday.
Mr. Ismael Guelleh who arrived in Mogadishu on Saturday has inaugurated an academy for the Somali language spoken by countries and regions in the Horn and East Africa.
Under tight security in Beledweyne town, Mr. Guelleh's visit troops from his country and hailed
them for their 'bravery' work to restore peace and order into the long chaotic country.
On his side, Somalia's president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has met with local officials and residents of the town.
Djibouti and Somalia maintain close relations owing to their shared history and similar demographic composition, with the Somali ethnic group constituting the majority population element in both countries.
The tiny horn of Africa nation became an active participant in the Somali peace process. In 2000, Djibouti hosted the Arta conference, as well as the 2008-2009 talks between the Transitional Federal Government and the Alliance for the Reliberation of Somalia, which led to the formation of a coalition government. Djibouti later joined the African Union Mission to Somalia in 2011.