By Agencies

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Ban Ki-moon, the United Nations' secretary-general, has arrived in the Somali capital Mogadishu on a surprise visit, the first by a top UN official since the start of the conflict in 1991.

Wearing a bullet-proof vest, Ban was welcomed by Abdiweli Mohamed Ali, the Somali prime minister, at the city's airport on Friday before making his way to the presidential palace.

Following his arrival, Ban announced that the the UN's political office for Somalia would be relocated from Kenya to Mogadishu.

Ban's brief visit comes after the TFG and supporting forces from the African Union (AU) regained some territory from the rebel Shabab armed group, which is seeking to take control of Somalia and institute Islamic law. Though Shabab has been pushed back, it still controls large swaths of the country.

Kenya also recently launched a limited offensive into Shabab-controlled territory in southern Somalia.

There are signs in fact that the government may have been losing its grip on security, as the number of explosive devices appeared to be increasing, and al-Shabab seem to be getting organised.

Mogadishu fell into chaos in 1991 after its last president was ousted. Warlords then turned on each other, plunging the country into a near perpetual state of anarchy in the past two decades.

After the failed US military intervention in 1993, the international community largely pulled out of Mogadishu.

The city hosts no international embassies and very few Western aid workers. The UN's mission for Somalia has been based in Nairobi for several years.