The President of Somalia thanks IGAD leaders for their role in lifting the arms embargo on his country

The President of Somalia thanks IGAD leaders for their role in lifting the arms embargo on his country

 The President of the Federal Republic of Somalia, Hassan Sheikh Mahmoud, who participated in the 41st extraordinary session of IGAD Heads of State and Government held in Djibouti, thanked the leaders of the regional organization for their role in Somalia joining the East African Community and lifting the arms embargo on his country.

In his speech at the Intergovernmental Authority on Development leaders’ meeting, the President spoke about the common challenges facing countries in the region, which include terrorism, the effects of climate change and conflicts.

The President said: “I thank the members of the regional IGAD organization for their support in lifting the arms embargo on Somalia and our request to join the East African Community, which are measures that attest to our efforts to ensure Somalia’s stability and progress.”

During the meeting, IGAD leaders heard a report from the Chairman of the Sovereignty Council of Sudan, Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, who spoke about IGAD’s mediation of the ongoing conflict in his country, and that the Somali government is one of the governments participating in finding a solution to that conflict.

President Hassan Sheikh indicated that finding a solution to the war in Sudan is Somalia's permanent position, and stated that Somalia is grateful to the government and people of Sudan for their support of the Somalis in their years of distress.