U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Jendayi Frazer made an unannounced visit to Somalia on Saturday, the Washington Post reported on Sunday.

Her visit represented U.S. support for an increasingly unpopular transitional government, which came to power through Ethiopian military might in December.

Frazer met with Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf, Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Gedi, clan elders and civil society leaders, under tight security.

She urged the leaders to work toward national reconciliation, a process that has been going badly in the Somali capital of Mogadishu, the report said.

The visit follows a week of intense fighting there between Ethiopian-backed government forces and insurgents that include disaffected clan-militia members and the remnants of the popular Islamic movement that was routed by Ethiopian forces in December with U.S. support, the report said, adding that more than 300 people were killed in recent fighting.

Despite recent news reports that both Ethiopia and Somalia could be investigated for war crimes violations for indiscriminately attacking civilians, Frazer had little criticism for either government, the report said.

Source: Xinhua