Somalia’s federal authorities have taken a fresh step to stabilise the Southwest State, appointing a specialist team to oversee dialogue and healing among local communities.
On Saturday, the Ministry of Interior, Federal Affairs, and Reconciliation issued an official directive naming a ten-member technical committee for talks and reconciliation in the region. The panel is chaired by Abdulqadir Elmi Ali (known as Abdul), the ministry’s director general, with Ali Abdullahi Isaaq serving as deputy chair.
According to the decree, the committee’s core mission is to implement and facilitate a peace and reconciliation process that resolves ongoing tensions in the Southwest State. The move comes as Mogadishu works to establish a new formal administration there.
“The committee is entrusted with ensuring fair representation, transparency during negotiations, and strengthening public trust and social cohesion,” the interior ministry stated.
The federal ministry added that it would closely monitor the committee’s work, coordinating closely with Southwest’s own interior ministry as part of broader stabilisation efforts.
The appointment follows consultations with stakeholders affected by the situation in the Southwest State. It also builds on a recent presidential visit to Baidoa by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, whose earlier executive order on the region is now being implemented.
Southwest has entered a new phase after the political departure of its former president, Abdiasis Lafta-gareen. The federal government now plans to organise a one-person, one-vote election in the region – a significant shift from previous indirect voting methods.