SOMALIA: U.S. Senator Kirk Visits Somalia’s Stable State of Puntland

Khalid Yussuf

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A U.S. delegation led by Senator Mark Kirk elected from the U.S. State of Illinois has visited Puntland, a self-governing stable state in northern Somalia.
Senator Kirk’s visit to Puntland on Saturday marks the first high-profile visit by an American leader to Somalia since 1992, when former U.S. President George H. W. Bush arrived in Mogadishu to support the American-led humanitarian relief effort in Somalia.
The Senator and his delegation were welcomed at the Bossaso International Airport by senior officials of the Puntland Government, including Security Minister Gen.Yusuf Ahmed, Education Minister Abdi Farah (Juha), Environment Minister Abdigani Yusuf Adde and Chief of Staff Ali (Barre) Jama.
Senator Kirk who accepted the President’s official invitation to visit Puntland received a warm welcome at the State House in Bossaso by the President of Puntland State of Somalia, H.E. Abdirahman Mohamed Mohamud (Farole).
Discussions between the Senator’s delegation and Puntland officials covered a range of topics, including the current drought situation; security, anti-piracy and counterterrorism efforts; democratization process; humanitarian aid; international cooperation and development; and U.S. support for stable regions in Somalia.

Senator Kirk and his delegation went on a tour of Bossaso afterwards. The delegation visited and were briefed by officials at the Port of Bossaso; Ministry of Finance; Ministry of Maritime Transport and Ports; Puntland Central Bank’s Bossaso branch; Bossaso General Hospital; Puntland Marine Force (PMF) compound in the outskirts of Bossaso; the Bossaso Animal Holding Ground (animal quarantine); and the tour concluded with a stopover at the city’s main prison, where over 240 pirates are jailed.

Senator Kirk and his delegation flew back to Djibouti after expressing his delight with visiting Puntland and praising the State for its stability.
It is the first time that a senior U.S. official has visited Puntland since the state was established as Somalia’s first federal state in 1998.
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