Somalia: Government sets agenda as National Consultative Conference commences in Mogadishu
The national consultative conference between the federal and regional governments kicks off today in Mogadishu, after being postponed in April over “technical issues”.
Information Minister Daud Aweis said the meeting will address various issues including; security, completion of the country’s constitution and the ongoing offensive against the Al-Shabaab.
Federal and State Government officials participating in the National Consultative Assembly are expected brief each other on progress in liberation against Al-Shabaab in various regions of the country.
The Federal Government of Somalia has asked member states to support the new national development plan for the progress of the country.
Al-Shabab has been combatting the government forces for nearly a decade.
The group is in charge of most of southern and central Somalia, but it has also managed to spread its influence into regions that the government, which is headquartered in Mogadishu, controls.
In December last year, the United Nations Security Council unanimously voted to remove the final restrictions on weapons deliveries to Somalia’s government and its security forces, ending a 30-year arms embargo imposed on the country.
President Hassan Sheikh has since urged security agencies to implement Arms and Ammunition Control Procedures following the lifting of the arms embargo.
