Somali Regional Leaders Convene Meeting In Puntland Capital

The leaders of Somalia’s Federal Member States are convening a key Forum of the council of Inter-State Cooperation opened in Garowe, the capital Puntland regional state.

The agendas of the meeting were not yet disclosed but inner circles of the forum indicate that the leaders will discuss on deadlock with the federal government of Somalia.

The leaders of Puntland, Jubbaland, South West and Galmudug states are attending the forum as the youngest regional state, Hirshabelle deserted the council days after the federal member states decided to cut ties with the federal government during the conclusion of the last meeting held in Kismayo.

At the end of a crucial four-day conference, the leaders accused the Mogadishu government of failing to handle the country’s security, of failing to fulfill its responsibilities toward the states in line with the country’s federal structure, and of taking its eye off the fight against al-Qaida-linked Islamist militants.

The security in Garowe, particularly the roads surrounding the presidential palace where the forum is expected to be held, has been tightened as hundreds of soldiers were deployed in the town.