Somalia:Puntland communities urge Somalia president to 'stop interfering in Jubaland' 11 Nov 11, 2012 - 1:12:05 PM
GAROWE, Somalia Nov 11 2012 (Garowe Online) – Members of the civil society and government spoke at an event held in Garowe, capital of Puntland, supporting the formation of Jubaland state and requesting an end to the interference of the process by President Hassan, Garowe Online reports.
Speakers at the event included Puntland state MP Abdullahi Mohamed Jama, Director of Puntland Agency for Social Welfare (PASWE) Ismail Adan Diriye, traditional elder Aw Musse Jidhun and Ahmed Jama Jinoole a civil society member.
The speakers supported the formation of Jubaland state and spoke out against the interference of the process by President Hasssan Sheikh Mohamud.
“The constitution gives the right for state formation and the President should not be preoccupied with the formation of Jubaland state,” said MP Jama.
PASWE Director Diriye, stated that the leader of the Federal Government of Somalia should not defy the Provisional Federal Constitution of Somalia.
“We did not expect the new President of Somalia Hassan Sheikh Mohamud would go against the Federal Constitution that Somalis from across Somalia agreed on,” said Director Diriye.
The Federal Constitution states that the two or more of the pre-1991 18 administrative regions can form a Federal State.
Traditional elder Aw Musse Jidhun stated that the Somali government’s main focus should be promoting peace in Gedo and Jubba regions.
“The regions have seen an intense amount of war and in this crucial building stage need moral support from the federal government,” said Aw Musse.
President Hassan who was elected in September met with the 9- member technical committee assigned with completing the Jubaland process in Mogadishu on Saturday.
Sources close to GO, said that President Hassan was not pleased with the Jubaland state formation and the technical committee’s role in the process.
Speakers at the event spoke about the stance President Hassan taken on the state formation of Jubaland.
Abdullahi Yasin Mohamed a native of the Jubba regions and a Somali Diaspora said that the Somali government should be “welcoming the state process instead of giving the impression of hijacking the process.”
Natives of the Gedo and the Lower and Middle Jubba regions through a consultative community process began building ‘Jubaland’ state with the formation of the state occurring in neighboring Kenya under the auspices of IGAD regional bloc.
Somali and Kenyan forces captured the commercial port city of Kismayo late September from the Al Shabaab.
The new Somali Federal Government has vowed to stabilize Somalia.
On Sunday, Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon said his cabinet would focus on “liberating the country and stabilizing Somalia”.
