Somalia plans to coordinate stabilization activities

The Somali government and its partners have agreed to harmonize all stabilization programs or activities in areas recently liberated from Al-Shabaab militants in the Horn of Africa nation, officials said on Thursday.

The program reached during a two-day conference held in Mogadishu was aimed at coordinating stabilization efforts between the government, regional administrations and other key stakeholders.

Head of Stabilization and Early Recovery Working Group of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) Dr. Opiyo Ododa said in a statement issued in Mogadishu that the conference had been critical in ensuring the adoption of the framework by all stakeholders.

"AMISOM is a key player in issues of stabilization. You realize that stabilization cannot happen without security and our major role is to provide security and the space in which stabilization activities can happen," Ododa said.

"Most of the identified districts in which stabilization occurs are districts which AMISOM has recovered from Al Shabaab. It is in these districts that the stabilization programs under the Wadajir framework are going to be implemented," he said.

The meeting was convened under the Wajadir Framework, which was launched in March and seeks to support reconciliation, civic dialogue and the establishment of local governance structures.

Ododa also noted that future stabilization activities would now be coordinated through the Ministry of Interior and Federal Affairs. He said the meeting had enabled the mapping of stabilization activities and facilitated networking and partnerships, expected to improve efficiency.

"As AMISOM, the conference has shown us how we can coordinate all our efforts, especially those dealing with issues of stabilization," Ododa said. Endit