Hiiraan Online
Thursday, August 18, 2016
MOGADISHU (HOL) – Somali government-led efforts aimed at ending the protracted political stalemate in negotiations for the formation of the proposed interregional state for Hiiraan and Middle Shabelle regions have again hit a dead end Thursday as Middle Shabelle elders pushed back last ditch effort to select the proposed state’s congress before the presidential election.
The development was dealt a heavy blow by the government’s push in breaking the standoff and heaped worries that it would interrupt the country’s upcoming election plans. The Somali government has recently announced that the horn of Africa nation would hold presidential elections on October 30.
Speaking to the reporters at a meeting in Jowhar town, the region’s provincial capital, elders accused the government of attempting to play a political ‘game’ with them in an attempt to trick their members into ‘vague’ political path.
In addition, elders in the neighboring Hiiraan region have previously boycotted the attendance of the state formation conference which was held in Jowhar, the regional capital of Middle Shabelle region earlier this year, as result of unmet promises by the president, an action they said led to their boycott in attending the talks.
Despite facing arrays of criticism, Somali government had promised of ensuring to develop a ‘fair’ and ‘comprehensive process, in an effort to form an ‘inclusive’ regional state.
The Mogadishu-based government which aims to complete the implementation of the federalism system throughout the country before the horn of Africa nation heads for presidential elections which is due to take late October signaled its willingness to convince elders to return to negotiating table.
According to Somalia’s Provisional Federal Constitution, adopted in 2012, the mandates of the Somali Federal Parliament and of the Government would come to an end in August and September 2016, respectively.
The government had earlier dismissed likelihood of holding a popular presidential vote due to security challenges.
The country still faces security challenges posed by the Al-Qaeda linked Al-Shabab group which continues to carry out violent guerrilla attacks including suicide attacks and assassinations across large parts of the country.