Somalia world's most failed state, says UK Foreign Secretary Hague in Mogadishu

Wearing a flak-jacket and helmet, Hague was driven from the airport through the war-battered seaside capital in an armoured vehicle belonging to the African Union military contingent protecting Somalia’s embattled government.

He was received at Mogadishu's presidential palace by Somalia government officials including the current president Sheik Sharif Sheikh Ahmed.

Hague also announced the appointment of Matt Baugh as a senior UK Somalia representative, the first such appointment in two decades.

The appointment comes just ahead of a 23 February global conference on Somalia that the UK is hosting.

Hague's arrival in the capital, Mogadishu, amid tight security, signalled the start of a major diplomatic push to restore stability in the country.

After meeting Somali President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed at the presidential palace in Mogadishu, Hague described Somalia as "the world's most failed state".

The country has been torn apart by two decades of war, beset by drought and famine and is home to a piracy industry that threatens shipping across the Indian Ocean.

But analysts say the military fortunes of the al Shebab militia have dramatically worsened in the last year.