Somali inaugurates new president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud

Somalia’s newly elected President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud was officially sworn in in Mogadishu on Thursday 9th June in a ceremony attended by regional leaders. Mr Mohamud previously served as president between 2012 and 2017, before being defeated by outgoing president Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo.

The presidential election was delayed for more than a year after the incumbent, Farmaajo sought to extend his rule by decree when his term ended in February 2021.

President Mohamud said that Somali will not get involved in global conflicts and promised to remains neutral. He called for international assistance to avert famine as a result of the ongoing drought in his country.

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Djibouti President Ismail Omar Guelleh, Egyptian Prime Minister Kamal Madbouly and representatives from the UAE, Türkiye, Uganda and Western countries attended the inauguration. The leaders praised the peaceful transfer of power and pledged to work with the Somali government.