William Hague today called for the fight against Somali-based terrorism to be stepped up after arriving in the war-torn country.

As the first British foreign secretary to visit Somalia for 20 years, Mr Hague’s visit is seen as a major diplomatic push to bring stability to a country he once described as ‘the world’s most failed state.’

Wearing a combat helmet and bullet-proof vest, Mr Hague was escorted through capital Mogadishu to his meeting with Somali president Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed in a heavily protected armoured vehicle.

The Foreign Secretary then introduced Matt Baugh, Britain’s first ambassador to the country since it collapsed into chaos and civil war in 1991, to the President Ahmed.
He also confirmed his intention to establish a new British embassy in Mogadishu once the security situation allows.

‘For the security of the UK, it matters a lot for Somalia to become a more stable place,’ Mr Hague said.

Recent gains by the 10,000-strong African Union force in the country (Amisom) had driven back the radical Islamist group al Shabaab from the capital, he said.

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But with much of the south of the country still controlled by the organisation, which has links to al Qaeda, Mr Hague added there must be ‘no let-up in the pressure.’

‘We need to step this up,’ he said. ‘We are not complacent about it.’

Britain is hosting a major conference on Somalia in London later this month, attended by representatives of 50 nations in international organisations.

Mr Hague has promised that counter-terrorism will be high on the agenda as well as tackling piracy and Somalia’s deep humanitarian problems.

‘One of the objectives of our conference in London is to strengthen counter-terrorism co-operation to make it easier for countries in this region to disrupt terrorist networks, to disrupt their financing and the movement of potential terrorists.’
In 2010, MI5 director-general Jonathan Evans warned that it was ‘only a matter of time’ before terrorists, trained in Somali camps, inspired acts of violence on the streets of the UK.

However, ministers believe the success of the Amisom offensive last August in driving al Shabaab from capitol Mogadishu has opened up a window of opportunity.

With suicide bombings, improvised explosive devices and grenade attacks still a regular occurrence, new ambassador Mr Baugh will work out of the British High Commission in neighbouring Kenya.

The volatile security situation meant that Mr Hague’s 10-minute drive from the Amisom base at the city’s airport to the presidential residence at Villa Somalia had to be made amid the tightest security.

The route took him past shops and buildings bearing the scars of two decades of conflict, including the country’s bombed-out parliament building.

However, observers in the city say there are new signs of life emerging from the rubble since Amisom’s August offensive, with businesses opening up, buildings being repaired and people and traffic returning to the streets.

The London conference will also consider practical steps strengthened the site against Somali pirates and improving humanitarian co-ordination for the one million refugees in the region displaced by famine.

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