Somali soldiers put large parts of the capital Mogadishu under lock down Friday ahead of the first meeting of a regional east African trade bloc in the war-torn nation for over two decades.
"Security has been tightened because of the IGAD (Intergovernmental Authority on Development) delegation," said Daud Aweys, spokesman for the presidential palace, as representatives began to arrive for one of the largest and highest profile meetings seen in Mogadishu for years.