Hardtalk

Somalia has a serious security challengePaul Njie speaks to Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, President of Somalia, about ongoing efforts to achieve security and stability in his country. While he says much progress has been made in tackling terror, he acknowledges that the insurgent groups al-Qaeda and, in particular, al-Shabab still pose a serious challenge. However, he refutes the American charge that Somalia is a safe haven for terrorists - a charge that has led to a US travel ban for Somali nationals. He also stands firm in the face of pressure to allow the secession of Somaliland, the self-declared republic in the north of Somalia. The country’s unity, he says, is sacrosanct. Long-running tensions with neighbouring Ethiopia are downplayed, and instead he gives his support to working together in both countries’ interests. President Mohamud first came to power in 2012, at the head of an internationally backed Government that brought a degree of stability to a country riven by civil war for decades. Re-elected for