CAIRO, Egypt – Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud arrived in Cairo on Friday evening to begin an official visit to Egypt at the invitation of President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi.
The current Egypt visit is Mohamud’s second trip since he returned after winning a historic reelection in May 2022 to lead the long-chaotic Horn of Africa country.
Mohamud and El-Sisi are scheduled to hold bilateral talks focused on strengthening Somali-Egyptian relations, regional issues, and other matters of mutual interest of their two countries.
The Somali President flew to Cairo from Kampala after completing a two-day visit to Uganda where he attended the 42nd Ordinary Summit of the IGAD Heads of State.
Mohamud is still pushing to protect Somalia’s sea from Ethiopia after a deal with Somaliland to get access to 20 kilometers of the Red Sea, where it wants to build a port and naval base.
The 67-year-old is keen to improve Somalia’s relations internationally even as his administration also focuses on internal peace and security as well as the war on Al-Shabaab.
