MOGADISHU: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon visited Somalia’s seaside capital Friday, the first trip in nearly two decades by the UN’s top leader to a city known for a seemingly perpetual state of war. Ban announced that the UN would move its Somalia political office from Kenya to Mogadishu next year.

Ban’s arrival in the war-torn capital city was made possible because of the military gains that African Union forces have made this year against Al-Shabab militants, who last year at this time controlled most of Mogadishu. Still, the militants have been waging a campaign of roadside and suicide bomb attacks, injecting some risk into the UN chief’s visit.

Ban, who was wearing a dark blue bulletproof vest when he landed, met with the leaders of Somalia’s weak, UN-backed government and officials from the African Union military force.

“I believe we are now at a critical juncture, a moment of fresh opportunities for the future of Somalia people … to bring a new measure of stability and possibilities to people’s lives,” he told a news conference at Mogadishu’s presidential palace.

Somali President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed called the trip historic and said it proved that progress is being made.

Ban said that the UN’s Political Office for Somalia will relocate to Mogadishu in January. He also welcomed the decision by Kenya’s Parliament this week to contribute troops to the African Union force, which is now composed mostly of Ugandan and Burundian troops.

Kenya’s military spokesman said Friday that the country’s deployment to the African Union force, which was approved by Kenya’s Parliament on Wednesday, would take overall troop numbers above the 12,000 allowed by its UN Security Council mandate. Maj. Emmanuel Chirchir said the merging of Kenyan troops into the AU force — currently 9,000 strong — still requires Security Council approval and that he expects the process to take several months.

Though the improved security allowed for Ban’s trip, the UN chief also delivered a warning to Somalia’s political leaders that they must make faster progress on a four-point plan to improve security, governance, reconciliation and create a constitution. The plan, known as the road map, is to be implemented by next August or the government risks losing international funding.

One reason the UN political office is opening in Mogadishu is so that the UN can keep closer tabs on Somalia’s leaders and ensure they are making more progress toward the four goals, a UN official said on condition he wasn’t identified because of the sensitive nature of the comments.

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