Monday, November 05, 2012
Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud met with Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Secretary General Mahbub Moalim at Villa Somalia on Saturday (November 3rd), according to an official press release.
Mohamud thanked IGAD for its continued support of his government's efforts to restore peace in Kismayo, and the two officials agreed to appoint four Somalis to lead a committee on behalf of the Somali government in that regard.
Moalim praised the recent formation of a task force to conduct a survey of the charcoal stockpile in Kismayo in collaboration with the African Union Mission in Somalia. The task force has three days to assess the quantity, source and estimated value of the charcoal at the port, and recommend appropriate uses of the charcoal in internal markets.
The United Nations has banned the international trade of Somali charcoal since February, as it led to the degradation of Somalia's forests and was a source of illegal revenue for al-Shabaab.
A joint task force comprised of IGAD, the Somali government, the African Union, the United Nations and other stakeholder organisations will be formed to determine how to proceed with administering Kismayo.
This is Moalim's second visit to Mogadishu in the past month.