U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will kick off a four-day trip to London and North Africa to attend meetings on Somalia and Syria, the State Department said on Tuesday.

While in London on Thursday, the top U.S. envoy will attend a conference on Somalia hosted by Prime Minister David Cameron, dedicated to building stability and peace in the East African nation, the agency said in a statement.

The event will draw heads of state and foreign ministers from over 50 countries as well as representatives of the United Nations and the African Union.

"The timing of the conference is significant as it convenes six months prior to the end of Somalia's political transition which is set to take place by August 20, 2012," the agency said.

Since the outbreak of a civil war in Somalia in 1991, there has been no central government controlling over most of the country's territory, and the internationally recognized Transitional Federal Government controls only a small part of the country.

The transitional government, whose mandate expires on Aug. 20, is working toward eventual national elections this year.

On Friday and Saturday, Clinton will participate in the first meeting of the "Friends of Syria" group in Tunisia, as part of the ongoing efforts with U.S. allies and the Syrian opposition to "crystallize next steps to halt the slaughter of the Syrian people and pursue a transition to democracy in Syria," the State Department said.

Clinton will also meet Tunisian Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali and members of the civil society to discuss bilateral cooperation and Tunisia's progress in its democratic transition.

The tour will also take Clinton to Algeria and Morocco.