Mogadishu — Somalia opened a three-day, high-level meeting in Mogadishu on Tuesday to discuss implementation of the IGAD Protocol on the Free Movement of Persons, gathering government officials and regional representatives from across the Intergovernmental Authority on Development bloc.

The talks matter because they mark another step in a regional integration drive that began in 2017. How the protocol is carried out will help determine whether people, workers, and traders can move more freely across Horn of Africa borders, a goal tied closely to Somalia's efforts to build stronger regional and economic partnerships.

Officials from Somalia's federal institutions overseeing migration, border management, and regional affairs are taking part in the session. Discussions are set to focus on the practical steps needed to put the protocol into effect and to deepen coordination among IGAD's member states.

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Abdulkadir Mohamud Yusuf, known as "Burgal," director of the Africa Department at Somalia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, opened the session with a welcome to delegates.

Somalia's Ambassador to IGAD, Mahmoud Karshe, addressed delegates on the bloc's ongoing push toward a visa-free arrangement for the region. He said IGAD is working to build the systems needed to ease movement, deepen integration, and support economic growth among its members, according to comments made at the meeting.

Karshe also credited the Federal Government of Somalia for its part in moving the agreement forward and for helping strengthen cooperation under IGAD's broader initiatives.

The meeting sits within a wider Somali strategy of engaging more closely with regional and international institutions, including IGAD and the East African Community, as Mogadishu seeks to expand trade links, ease cross-border movement, and build diplomatic ties across the region.

Officials did not announce a timeline for when the protocol will be fully implemented.