John Kerry made an unannounced landing in Somalia Tuesday — making him the first U.S. secretary of state to ever travel to the country.
Somalia has been gripped by decades of war and is now facing a growing extreme Islamic insurgency — specifically al Shabab. It has struggled without a strong central government for roughly 20 years.
Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud greeted Kerry upon his arrival in Mogadishu, calling the visit “a great moment” for his nation.
“I’m glad to be here,” Kerry said, before asking the president if he had spent a “long time” waiting for his arrival.
“It’s worth waiting,” Mohamud replied.
According to the State Department, Kerry’s trip will “reinforce the United States commitment to supporting Somalia’s ongoing transition to a peaceful democracy.”
“It will send a strong signal to al Shabab that we are not turning our backs on the Somali people and that we will continue to engage with Somalia until we bring al Shabab’s terror to an end,” a senior State Department official said ahead of the visit.
The visit, dubbed as “historic,” is also expected to show Somalis that “things are improving in the country,” the official added.
Kerry is expected to travel to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday before heading to Paris.
(h/t NBC News)
