Somalia: Jubaland, Southwest State sign MoU

KISMAYO, Somalia Dec 30, 2014 (Garowe Online)-The Presidents of Jubaland administration and Southwest state signed a 4-point Memorandum of Understanding on Security, trade, Federalization and Constitution and the country’s timetable towards credible elections by 2016, Garowe Online reports.

Sheikh Ahmed Mohamed Islam (Madobe) and Sharif Hassan Sheikh Adan signed the bilateral agreement in the presence of traditional leaders, politicians and civil society activists representing the two Federal states in the southern port city of Kismayo on Monday.

On vision 2016, the two administrations agreed to a new campaign that would let the residents of Federal states understand the core values of the vision and called for more radical measures by the central government.

Jubaland and Southwest state urged Mogadishu-based Federal Government to adopt ‘No Objection Policy’, and Federal institutions to delegate concrete powers to regional bureaus in the face of truly democratic system of governance.

According to the MoU, the two expressed their keenness in an even distribution by Somalia Federal Government of international assistance.

“We agreed on pre-civil war borderlines and regional demarcations made by the military government,” stated the two-party deal.

MoU revealed the formation of a security committee that would have representatives from Southwest and Jubaland states: “Also regional security agencies will share intelligence and at the same time will launch joint military offensives against Al Qaeda-linked Al Shabaab militants,” read the bilateral agreement.

“Anybody who commits a crime in the jurisdiction of one of the two federal states will be extradited. Jubaland and Southwest state agreed to exchange the trainings and those with expertise in the field of security,” MoU noted.

On Constitution and Federalization process, Jubaland and Southwest state called for the establishment of interstate commission which they said would speed up the relationship between the government in Mogadishu and regional states.

The Federal states in southern Somalia directed their respective Chamber of Commerce to scale up the exchange of merchandise on larger scale and encourage cross-border trade and movement.

The co-operation deal marks the first to be signed officially by the two states as the country’s federalization process continues to gain momentum.

GAROWE ONLINE