Kerry heading to Africa for talks on counterterrorism
NAIROBI, Kenya — Secretary of State John Kerry will be in Africa on Monday for talks in Kenya and Nigeria on countering terrorism before visiting Saudi Arabia to discuss the conflict in Yemen.
Kerry first meets with Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta on regional issues including the upheaval in neighbouring South Sudan and security in Somalia, where homegrown, al-Qaida-linked extremist group al-Shabab continues to launch deadly attacks in the capital.
On his last visit to the region in May 2015, Kerry became the first secretary of state to set foot in Somalia two decades after dead U.S. soldiers were dragged through the streets of its capital, Mogadishu. It was a symbolic visit to show support for the Horn of Africa nation’s fledgling government.
Somalia faces key parliamentary elections next month and a presidential election in October. The country has been trying to rebuild after establishing its first functioning central government since 1991.