African leaders gathered in Mogadishu (Somalia's capital), for a regional meeting regarding East Africa, one of the first summits of its kind in decades. Member countries of the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development regional bloc (IGAD) were invited, and representatives of Kenya, Somalia, Uganda, Djibouti, Sudan, and Ethiopia attended the meeting. Security was one of the major concerns for Somalia, and the streets were shut down to traffic on Tuesday in the Somali capital. The dominant issue during the meeting concerned the South Sudan's crisis, as well as the preparations for the next Somali elections.

DRAFT COMMUNIQUÉ OF THE 28th EXTRA-ORDINARY SESSION OF THE IGAD ASSEMBLY OF HEADS OF STATE AND GOVERNMENT ON SOMALIA >>

They also reiterated their condemnation of acts committed by Al Shabaab, specifically their attacks against the civilian population. According to a previous report, the organization should be linked to the Islamic State group.

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