William Hague has become the first Foreign Secretary to visit Somalia for more than 20 years, as he starts a diplomatic push to bring stability to the anarchic Horn of Africa nation.
It was the first visit to Mogadishu by a British foreign minister since 1992 and comes ahead of a conference in London this month to discuss measures to tackle instability in Somalia and piracy off its shores.
The last British ambassador left Somalia 21 years ago when Somalia descended into chaos after dictator Mohamed Siad Barre was ousted in 1991.
A near constant state of civil war in the country has raged since then.
A western-backed transition government has been battling local al-Qaeda associated insurgents al Shabaab for the past five years.
At the moment, there are six diplomatic missions in Mogadishu, representing Djibouti, Ethiopia, Libya, Sudan, Turkey and Yemen.
In a press conference in the capital of the Horn of Africa nation Mr Hague said: "In the UK we are very committed to the future of Somalia."
Britain's new envoy to Somalia, Matt Baugh, will remain based in Kenya's capital Nairobi until security conditions permit the opening of an embassy in Somalian capital.
Britain's new envoy to Somalia, Matt Baugh, will remain based in Kenya's capital Nairobi until security conditions permit the opening of an embassy in Somalian capital.
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