A delegation from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) arrived in Mogadishu this afternoon on a special flight that landed at the Afisyoni airstrip.
According to multiple sources, the delegation was escorted to Villa Somalia, the presidential palace. Among the visiting Emirati officials were a number of businessmen.
The exact purpose of the trip remains unclear, but it comes just days after another high-level UAE delegation—led by Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sheikh Shakhboot—visited Mogadishu. That visit coincided with the arrival of Sudan’s intelligence chief in the Somali capital.
Sources also indicate that Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud is preparing for a visit to the UAE in the coming days, in what is seen as an effort to revive and strengthen relations between the two countries—ties that have recently been under strain.
