CAIRO - 20 January 2024: Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud arrived in Cairo on Saturday on a two-day official visit, at the invitation of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. The visit comes at a time of heightened tensions between Somalia and Ethiopia, which has signed a controversial memorandum of understanding with the breakaway region of Somaliland. In a statement, the Somali ambassador to Egypt, Elias Sheikh Omar Abubakar, said the visit was an opportunity for the two countries to coordinate their positions on the crisis in Somalia. The Somali president is scheduled to meet with el-Sisi, as well as Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit and Grand Imam of al-Azhar Sheikh Ahmed el-Tayeb, to discuss the latest developments in the region. Abubakar said the visit would "boost" relations between the two countries and help to strengthen cooperation and coordination between them.
