Muqadishu: Interim Somali
President Abdullahi Yusuf returned to the capital
Mogadishu Sunday unannounced, after a weeks-long
trip visiting foreign capitals and meeting with
world leaders.
President Yusuf's government delegation, which
included Foreign Affairs Minister Ali "Jangeli"
Ahmed, landed at Mogadishu's Adan Adde International
Airport under heavy guard.
Mogadishu residents said the road linking the
airport to the presidential palace Villa Somalia was
closed off by Somali and Ethiopian troops.
Local media was unaware of the Somali leader's
return to Mogadishu, with security officials saying
the information was kept secret due to concerns that
insurgents might target the airport with mortars.
A presidential
aide who spoke with Garowe Online on the condition
of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak
with the media said President Yusuf will rest and
then convene a press conference to speak about his
trip.
The Somali
leader visited Washington, D.C., Paris, London,
Nairobi and Addis Ababa, which was his last
destination before returning home.
President Yusuf
has called for a United Nations peacekeeping force
to replace Ethiopian troops protecting his interim
government in Mogadishu.
