Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has not travelled to Israel, Villa Somalia said while dispelling reports that Mohamud secretly landed in Jerusalem.
Addressing the media in Mogadishu, Abdikarim Ali Kaar, Mohamud’s spokesperson, said the president had returned to Somalia on Friday from a trip to the United Arab Emirates.
The local media in Somalia had been circulating rumours about Mohamud’s secret trip to Israel following his delayed return from the UAE.
Meanwhile, Mohamud said he was in self-isolation after testing positive for Covid-19.
“My fellow citizens, I would like to inform you that today I tested positive for COVID-19. So far, I have no symptoms, but I will continue to self-isolate and serve the people of #Somalia from home,” he said on Friday on his Twitter account.
Somalia has so far registered 26,748 COVID-19 cases and 1,361 deaths, according to a tally from its health ministry.
Mohamud, a former academic and peace activist took office in May after winning the presidential vote for the second time.
He previously served as president from 2012 to 2017.
