Somalia: Federal delegation arrives in Baidoa to oversee transition after Laftagareen's resignation

MOGADISHU, Somalia — A delegation from the Federal Government of Somalia arrived in Baidoa on Tuesday afternoon to oversee a political transition, a day after regional president Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen stepped down.

The officials, including interior, foreign, and religious affairs ministers as well as the Lower House speaker Sheikh Aden Madobe, landed at the Shaati Gaduud airport in Baidoa. Some of them had not visited the city for years due to a prolonged political dispute with Laftagareen, who governed Southwest State for seven years.

Before departing from Mogadishu, disagreements emerged over who should lead the interim administration during the transition. Some members backed the continuation of Laftagareen’s finance minister, while others proposed handing authority to the former deputy speaker of the regional parliament.

The sides ultimately agreed that Somalia’s second deputy prime minister, Jibriil Adirashiid Haji Abdi, would head the transitional process overseeing the administration in South West State.

The arrival of the delegation marks the beginning of a federal-led transition following Laftagareen’s resignation, amid ongoing efforts to stabilize the regional state’s political leadership.

GAROWE ONLINE