The Commander of the Somali National Army, Major General Ibrahim Sheikh Muhuddin, met with his Saudi Arabian counterpart, Major General Fayyad bin Hamed Al-Ruwaili, in Riyadh on Friday. The meeting was part of a working visit by the Somali delegation to Saudi Arabia.
The two military leaders discussed ways to enhance the bilateral relations between their countries and the support of the Somali national army. They also exchanged views on the regional security situation and the cooperation in the fight against terrorism, especially the threat posed by Al-Shabaab, a militant group that has been waging a violent insurgency in Somalia for over a decade.
The Somali government has been seeking to strengthen its ties with Saudi Arabia and other regional allies, as part of its efforts to restore stability and development in the country. Saudi Arabia has been providing humanitarian and military assistance to Somalia, as well as supporting its participation in the African Union Mission in Somalia (ATMIS), a peacekeeping force that has been helping the Somali government combat Al-Shabaab .