Reliable sources at the Somali Presidency, Villa Somalia, indicate that a delegation of senior armed forces officials from IGAD [Inter Governmental Authority on Development] countries have arrived there. Reasons for their arrival at this time have not yet been disclosed.

These military commanders from IGAD member countries are led by the former commander of Ethiopian troops who were deployed in Somalia towards the end of 2006, General Gabre. The delegation is said to have arrived in a chartered plane at the Mogadishu airport.

The delegation led by General Gabre has since held talks with the AMISOM [African Union's Mission in Somalia] commanders and senior Transitional Federal Government of Somalia [TFG] officials in Mogadishu. Some of the senior TFG officials have denied reports of this particular delegation's arrival in the capital while others have said their presence in Mogadishu is part of the regular evaluation visits by armed forces commanders from IGAD member countries.

A senior armed forces official who refrained from being named has told us that this delegation is visiting the country in order to monitor operations of the TFG forces. He also said there is a possibility that IGAD member countries might deploy troops in Somalia to fight armed Islamist groups who are in control of most parts of the capital and southern Somalia regions.

The delegation whose arrival has been kept low key have been in Mogadishu for two days now and many in the Somali politics have interpreted it in different ways but all agree that their presence has to do with armed forces operations.

IGAD, which most of the eastern Africa countries are members of, has been supporting the TFG since 2004 when it was first formed. They have in the past played a major role in the training of TFG soldiers in neighbouring countries, deployment of AMISOM troops that are currently in the country and hosting of a number of international conferences to discuss the situation in Somalia.