Somali Premier Minister Hamsa Abdi Barre attended a meeting in the Heliwa neighborhood of Mogadishu to improve coordination between law enforcement and the Banadir region administration on Sunday afternoon The Prime Minister explicitly stated during the meeting that Mogadishu’s security was a top priority for the administration. He pointed to the gathering in the Heliwa district as evidence of better understanding and community cooperation, which had long been difficult to achieve.
After al-Shabaab gained control of  Mogadishu in 2011, Heliwa, a town in the southeast Banaadir region, endured safety concerns for a while. Al-Shabaab has been cited as having a stronghold in the neighborhood. The benefits of collaboration between Mogadishu’s residents and security forces were emphasized by Prime Minister Hamsa. All districts are now safer to visit as a result.
The meeting  was attended by ministers, the governor of the Banadir region, MPs, and representatives of various societal groups that collaborate with the capital’s security services to hunt down al-Shabaab remnants hiding in their homes. Government forces have been advancing against the militants significantly since August, when they launched a significant offensive against al-Shabaab under the direction of Somalia, which was their most successful move against the terror organization in the previous 15 years
