Saturday March 11, 2023
Mogadishu (HOL) - Members of the Hawadle clan from both Houses of Parliament held a closed-door meeting with the President of the Federal Government of Somalia, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, on Friday afternoon in Mogadishu.
President Mohamud and the lawmakers discussed finding a solution to the clan's political concerns regarding the central government and the Hirshabelle administration, as well as the ongoing offensive against the Al-Shabaab group in the Hiiraan region.
According to a reliable source who spoke to HOL, the meeting ended with a spirit of mutual understanding. The clan formed a three-member committee tasked with resolving their issues. The committee comprises the Upper House's Deputy Speaker, Ali Shabban, Abdirisaaq Omar Mohamed, and the former intelligence director Abdullahi Sambalolshe.
During the meeting, the two sides also discussed the need for the federal government to build a hospital in Beledweyne to treat local clan militia forces injured in the fight against al Shabab.
Last month, the al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab group claimed responsibility for an attack in Somalia's capital that killed at least ten people. The group said it targeted military officials and militia fighters involved in an offensive against them. The militants raided a care home for members of pro-government forces injured in central Somalia's military operations.
The President's meeting with Hawadle clan representatives comes after the Hawadle clan's conference in Nairobi last month, and expressed concern that clan representation in the central government is lower than its status. They also expressed disappointment with the political structure of the Hirshabelle administration due to the state's rapid formation.