Somalia’s president Sheikh Mohamud was inaugurated on Thursday in a ceremony held behind blast walls at Mogadishu airport, where the leaders of Ethiopia, Djibouti and Kenya pledged closer ties with his administration.

On Wednesday night, mortar shells were fired toward the venue for the inauguration ceremony, hours after a curfew imposed by the government to secure the city had come into force.

Speaking at the event, outgoing Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo promised to work hand in hand with his successor and urged Somali citizens to give him a chance to be able to deliver essential public services.

International community Outgoing Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble called on the international community to stand by the new President to overcome daunting challenges ahead of his administration, including instability, worsening drought and tensions between the political elite.

Hours before the ceremony began, the President of Djibouti Ismail Omar Ghuelleh, the Prime Minister of Ethiopia Abiy Ahmed and the Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta landed at Mogadishu airport for the first time in many years. They were seen in a get-together image with the new Somali president and his immediate predecessor Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta extended his “hearty greetings and congratulations” to Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on his re-election and promised stronger ties with his administration following years of strained diplomatic relations between Mogadishu and Nairobi.

“Mr President Kenya welcomes warmly the peaceful transition of power [in Somalia] and commits to collaborate with you and to support as you champion the development agendas of the Federal Republic of Somalia,”

“My brother dear president, you can count on Kenya as a dependable partner to Somalia and your development agenda.” Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, a strong ally of former Somali leader Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo, congratulated Mohamud on the assumption of power in Somalia and promised support.

“In light of this, the government of Ethiopia is fully behind you in implementing a one-person vote universal suffrage in 2025 after 58 years,” the Ethiopian leader said. “My government is committed to working together in a more robust relationship to achieve a better future for our people and to determine destiny together.”