There was a meeting in Dolow to establish a regional govt in Southern Somalia, they havent given any details on how. Why are they wasting their time chatting xaar?
A Somali politician says a major conference has been held in a town near Somalia's border with Kenya and Ethiopia to develop a plan to establish a regional government in southern Somalia. Al-Shabab Islamic militants, who largely control the regions under discussion, have dismissed the conference as a "propaganda stunt."
According to southern Somali politician Aden Mohamed Nur "Saransoor," 200 delegates gathered in the Somali border town of Dolow in the Gedo region three days ago to discuss the way forward for liberating southern Somalia from Islamist radicals and for creating a regional state.
The politician says the objective of the conference was to find a way to establish a semi-autonomous state encompassing six regions - Gedo, Bay, Bakool, Lower and Middle Juba and Lower Shabelle.
Saransoor says delegates at the conference were politicians, clan elders and community leaders from each region. He says a technical committee has been formed to develop a clear plan.
The proposal is not without precedent. In 1998, the northern Somali region of Puntland declared autonomy from south-central Somalia after a series of failed attempts at national reconciliation. Somalia was torn apart by factional fighting after the overthrow of the country's dictator, Mohamed Siad Barre, in 1991.
Observers say if the conference attracted as many delegates as claimed, it underscores the growing sense of frustration among various clan-based communities in southern Somalia. They say some Somalis may be viewing regionalism as a solution to Somalia's problems because they are not convinced the weak U.N.-backed central government in Mogadishu can be counted on to curb radicalism, restore stability in the country, and share resources equitably.
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