Hiiraan/Middle Shabelle state formation talks to resume September 3

The state formation conference for Middle Shabelle and Hiiraan state will resume on September 3 a year after talks collapse following disagreements and mistrust between the Federal Government and elders from the region.

Interior Minister Abdirahman Mohamed Hussein announced Wednesday the conference will kick off in Jowhar following talks with the regional body IGAD in Mogadishu.

“We have been in talks with IGAD for the last two months exploring ways to reconvene the conference and we are now in the final stages before the start on September 3,” said Hussein.

IGAD special envoy for Somalia Mohammed Abdi Afey said the conference must be inclusive and adhere to constitutional framework. Afey added a committee comprising representatives from IGAD, EU and the Federal Government will meet starting tomorrow to finalise the preparatory process before next week.

Afey said the Hiiraan and Middle Shabelle is the only remaining state to be formed before the polls which start next month.

Deputy Prime Minister Mohamed Arte called on delegates who will be participating in the conference to embrace a spirit of compromise noting despite differences which existed before there was need to reach a common ground.

“I know there were teething issues during the conference. I urge all delegates to reach consensus through compromise so that we can be able to finish this process in time and satisfactorily,” said Arte.

The state formation process was first set to start September last year but was later postponed to November but shortly thereafter collapse by end year. Elders accused the Federal Government of interfering with the selection of delegates to the conference, a matter which degenerated into collapse of the talks.

The government sent delegations to Baletweyne and Jowhar to convince the elders to resume the talks on a number of times but the overtures did not yield any meaningful results as the elders gave the talks a wide berth.

President Hassan Sheikh went to Beletweyne in March 25 to engage the elders but the talks ran into resistance from the public on the first day resulting into demonstrations. However the President managed to convince some of the elders who later converged in Jowhar but the talks never materialized.