Somalia - Is President Hassan Sh. Mohamud on the Verge of Welcoming Jubbaland?

By Samatar Yuusuf Ugaas  Feb. 09, 2013

Pres. Hassan Sh. Mohamud

The biggest discussion today among key actors in the Somali political sphere and among the Somali people in general is the issue of Jubbaland. It is on everybody’s mouth. It has become a great bone of contention. I thought I should share new information coming out of Muqdisho.

I recently met an old friend of mine. I last met him on a cold December evening in 2010 in a small coffee shop in Shepherd’s Bush, west London. It is following that meeting that I penned my last article on WardheerNews. Back then, even though he was a native of Muqdisho and would have seemed (to me at least) a natural ally of Sheikh Shariff, he was an agitator against the then president. Now though, he is a staunch supporter of President Hassan and an advisor to the current administration. After the presidential election, he was one among few who were huddled in front of their laptops working on many policy documents. This Sunday, I was fortunate to meet him again, in a restaurant in Nairobi’s Lavington area.

We talked for quite a while especially about the Jubbaland state problem. I asked him about the thoughts of the government especially the president and his inner circle. I was taken aback by what I heard and with his permission, without mentioning any name, I thought I should share what I gathered from this conversation.Continued