Friday May 2, 2025

Dhusamareb (HOL) — The United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Somalia, James Swan, visited Dhusamareb on Tuesday and is expecting to visit Puntland and Jubbaland later this week.

During his visit, Swan met with Galmudug state President Ahmed Abdi Karie “Qoor Qoor” and senior regional officials to discuss pressing national and local issues, including security coordination, inclusive political dialogue, and preparations for Somalia’s delayed National Consultative Council (NCC) meeting.

“We urge,” they continued, “the Government, Federal Member State leaders, and political and societal stakeholders to meet expeditiously to ensure a unified, effective response to the ongoing Al-Shabaab offensive as an urgent national security priority.”

The visit follows the UN and 27 other international partners issuing a joint statement in early April in support of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s Eid-al-Fitr proposal to convene a national dialogue platform. The initiative aims to bring together federal and regional leaders, political stakeholders, and civil society actors to strengthen the fight against terrorism and build consensus on Somalia’s democratic and federal transition.

“A unified and inclusive strategy is indispensable to achieving success against Al-Shabaab and advancing Somalia’s state-building priorities,” the statement said. “We welcome the reported positive responses from leading Somali political figures to this initiative.”

The partners called on all sides to urgently convene and ensure a unified, effective response to the ongoing Al-Shabaab threat, which they described as an urgent national security priority.

Swan’s visit to Galmudug also included discussions on electoral planning and political inclusivity ahead of the country’s planned transition to a one-person, one-vote system. He reiterated the importance of consensus-based decision-making and dialogue that involves all Federal Member States.

The NCC summit, initially scheduled to open Thursday in Mogadishu, has been postponed to Monday, May 5. A statement from Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre’s office cited a unanimous decision by national leaders but did not provide details for the delay.

Sources indicate that the federal government is making efforts to re-engage Puntland and Jubbaland, whose absence from previous NCC meetings has highlighted growing political fractures within the federal structure.