Somalia’s victorious under-17 national soccer team returned home today after clinching the East and Central African (Cecafa) title at a tournament in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.
On Saturday, the teenage Somalis beat their South Sudanese counterparts 3-1 in the final.
This is the first time that a Somali football team has won an international competition since the country plunged into civil war in 1991.
The victory has brought a rare sense of unity to a conflict-ridden nation.
President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud welcomed the team to the presidential palace
on their arrival in the capital, Mogadishu.
“You are a good example for the other Somali youth to follow for their country and to bring successes like this,” he said in a Facebook post.