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Somali President, Sheikh Shariff Sheikh Ahmed, has promised that next month’s presidential elections will be peaceful, free and fair.

He said this, yesterday, while addressing journalists at Kigali International Airport after concluding a two-day working visit to Kigali, just weeks ahead of general elections in his country.

At the Airport, he was accompanied by Louise Mushikiwabo and Sheikh Musa Fazil Harelimana, ministers of Foreign Affairs and Internal Security, respectively, as well as other senior government officials.

“The situation in Somalia is getting much better and the Somalis in the Diaspora are coming to participate in the elections. The elections will be peaceful, free and fair,” he said.

Efforts to end decades of war in the troubled Horn of African state are nearing a critical stage as the country is set to hold polls in August.

“I have been to Rwanda to brief my colleague, President Paul Kagame, about the security situation and the peace process reforms in Somalia as well as strengthen bilateral relationship with Rwanda,” he said.

Thursday afternoon he met President Kagame and on Friday he toured Kigali City where he visited Museum of Natural History and the Somali Embassy in Rwanda.

“We are going to cooperate with Rwanda in the areas of diplomatic relations and we appreciate the support the country has been rendering to us,” the Somali President said.

Rwanda has previously trained Somali soldiers, police and customs officers as the Transitional Federal Government sought to end years of mayhem in the country.

The President remarked that they have reached a point of closing the Transitional Federal Government.

The Mogadishu government is currently re-drafting its constitution, parliamentary reforms and the establishment of a Constituent Assembly that will approve the constitution.

The elections were postponed last year to enable additional preparation, and restore peace and security in most of the country.

In a bid to mobilise international support to end the Somalia crisis, the British government in February organised a meeting in London to tackle the country’s humanitarian crisis and International coordination, among others.

More troops from Kenya and Djibouti have joined the African Union troops that are mainly from Uganda and Burundi.

The forces have dislodged Al Qaida-linked Al Shabaab militants from the capital as well several strategic locations.

Contact email: frank.kanyesigye[at]newtimes.co.rw