South West State of Somalia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
South West State of Somalia
|
|
|---|---|
 Flag
 Coat of arms
|
|
Location of the South West State within Somalia
|
|
| Capital | Barawe (de jure) Baidoa (de facto) |
| Largest city | Baidoa |
| Official languages | Af-May, Arabic, English language |
| Ethnic groups | Somali Rahanweyn |
| Religion | Islam |
| Demonym(s) | Somali |
| Government | |
|
• President
|
Abdiaziz Laftagareen |
| Area | |
|
• Total
|
98,863 km2 (38,171 sq mi) (3rd state of somalia) |
| Population | |
|
• 2022 estimate
|
4,387,355 |
| GDP (PPP) | 2018 estimate |
|
• Total
|
5,895,765 |
| HDI (2012) | 0.2 low |
| Currency | Somali shilling |
| Calling code | +252 |
| Internet TLD | .so |
The South-West State of Somalia is a Federal Member State located in southwestern Somalia. It is also known as Koonfur Galbeed in Somali and Koofur Orsy in the local Maay language. This region was first created on April 1, 2002, by Hasan Muhammad Nur Shatigadud, who led the Somalia RRA. It was one of the first self-governing areas in Somalia.
After a period of change, the territory was officially re-established in November 2009 as a federal member state of Somalia. Today, Abdiaziz Laftagareen is the president of this state. While Barawa, a city on the coast, is the official capital, the government currently operates from Baidoa.
Contents
Where is South West State?
The South West State is located in a key part of Somalia.
- To the north, it shares a border with Ethiopia.
- To the west, it is next to Jubbaland.
- To the east, you'll find Hirshabelle.
- To the south, it meets the Somali Sea.
- It also borders Banaadir to the southeast.
The state has had a few names over time. During its early development, it was called the Interim South West Administration. Its full name is the South West State of Somalia. In the local Maay Maay language, people call it Koofur Orsi. Someone from Koofur Orsi is known as a Koofur Orsian.
A Look at History
Early Ideas for Self-Rule
Before Somalia became independent, the area now known as Koofur Orsi or Koonfur-Galbeed was managed by the United Nations. At that time, many people from the Digil and Mirifle groups living here wanted their region to have more control. They preferred a system where different parts of the country had their own powers, rather than one strong central government.
Years after Somalia gained independence, people became unhappy with the government of Siad Barre. In 1990, major groups met in Ethiopia and agreed that a federal system would be better for Somalia. Many people from the Konfuur-Galbeed region felt that their earlier leaders had been right about wanting more local power.
Modern State Formation
The area known as the Southwestern State of Somalia was originally planned to include six regions: Bay, Bakool, Middle Jubba (Jubbada Dhexe), Lower Shabelle (Shabeellada Hoose), Gedo, and Lower Jubba (Jubbada Hoose). This new state was formed because people in the region were not happy with the early national government based in Mogadishu.
In 2005, the state was temporarily dissolved when its leader, Shatigadud, joined the national government. However, it was later re-established as an official federal member state.
The coastal areas of Koofur Orsi are mainly home to the Biimaal clan, as well as the Barwani and other communities. The inner parts of Koofur Orsi are mostly populated by the Rahanweyn clan. They live between the Hawiye clan to the east in Hirshabelle and the Marehan and other Darod clans to the west in Jubaland.
How the State is Governed
Setting Up the Government
In December 2013, meetings began in Baidoa to create an autonomous state in the area. This was part of Somalia's plan to form federal states under its Provisional Federal Constitution.
There were two main ideas for how the new Southwestern State should be formed:
- One group, led by former Parliament Speaker Sharif Hassan Sheikh Adan, suggested a state made of three regions: Bay, Bakool, and Lower Shabelle.
- Another group, led by traditional elders, wanted to bring back a six-region state, including Bay, Bakool, Lower Shabelle, Gedo, Middle Jubba, and Lower Jubba.
On March 3, 2014, Madoobe Nuunow was chosen as president by those who supported the six-region idea. However, the Somali federal government did not recognize this outcome. They said it went against an agreement made earlier with the Jubbaland administration.
On March 27, 2014, delegates representing the Bay, Bakool, and Lower Shabelle regions elected Mohamed Haji Abdinur as president of the Southwestern State. Abdinur was a well-known politician.
To help calm the situation, the President of Somalia, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, visited Baidoa on March 30, 2014. The Puntland regional administration also supported the three-region state process.
Uniting the Administrations
On June 22, 2014, the federal government helped the two groups (three-region and six-region supporters) reach an agreement. The next day, it was announced that the two groups would merge into a single three-region state, including Bay, Bakool, and Lower Shabelle provinces.
Leaders from the Somali government, including President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, Prime Minister Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed, and Parliament Speaker Mohamed Osman Jawari, oversaw a ceremony in Mogadishu. This event marked the official merger. The agreement stated that the new state would be led by an Interim South West Administration. This group would have members from both sides.
Many international partners, like the UN, AU, EU, and the U.S., welcomed this agreement. They praised the efforts to bring the groups together and promised to keep supporting the region's recovery. On June 25, 2014, the federal cabinet approved the agreement.
On July 16, 2014, a Technical Committee was formed to help set up the Interim South West Administration. In September 2014, a reconciliation conference was held in Baidoa to bring the local administrations together.
In October 2014, President Mohamud opened a state formation conference in Baidoa. On November 7, 2014, the Southwestern State of Somalia was officially established. Delegates from the Bay, Bakool, and Lower Shabelle provinces agreed to make Barawe its capital and approved a new state constitution. On November 17, 2014, former Parliament Speaker Sharif Hassan Sheikh Adan was elected President of the three-region Southwestern State.
On December 17, 2014, the six-region South West Somalia administration joined the three-region administration. This merger happened after a power-sharing agreement was signed. This agreement gave the leadership of the former six-region group positions as the new federal state's vice president and parliament speaker.
On December 30, 2014, President Sharif Hassan Sheikh Adan and Jubaland President Ahmed Mohamed Islam signed an agreement on several important topics. These included federalization, security, trade, and the constitution. They agreed on fair distribution of international aid, respecting old boundaries, and giving more power to regional bodies. They also decided to form a security committee to work together on safety issues and share information.
Elections and Challenges
The South West State planned to hold its own presidential elections on November 17, 2018. This was an important step for local democracy, allowing people to choose their leader for the first time.
However, the election process faced many challenges:
- There was growing tension between the national government and the federal member states.
- The election committee faced delays in being formed.
- Bombings occurred in Baidoa, targeting places linked to candidates, which caused deaths.
- Several members of the election committee resigned, saying there was too much interference from the federal government.
- The President of the South West State, Sharif Hassan Sheikh Adan, resigned and decided not to run again, reportedly due to pressure.
The elections were postponed multiple times, from November 17 to November 28, then to December 5, and finally to December 19.
Mukhtar Robow was allowed to run in the elections, despite earlier objections from the federal government. However, on December 13, Mukhtar Robow was taken into custody and flown to Mogadishu. This led to violence in Baidoa, where several people were killed.
On December 19, 2018, Abdiaziz Laftagareen was elected President of South West State.
On January 1, 2019, Somalia declared the UN's chief diplomat, Nicholas Haysom, unwelcome in the country. This happened after Haysom questioned the arrest of Mukhtar Robow and the actions of the police. The UN Security Council expressed regret over Somalia's decision.
Koofur Orsi Government Members
As of March 2015, the government of Koofur Orsi State of Somalia included:
- President
- Sharif Hassan Sheikh Adan
- Cabinet Ministers (examples)
- Minister of Interior – Abdirahman Ibrahim Adan
- Minister of Finance – Hassan Ibraahim Lugbur
- Minister of Agriculture – Mohamed Hassan Fiqi
- Minister of Justice – Ahmed Sheik Hassan
- Minister for Security – Abdifatah Geesey
In March 2015, the Minister of Tourism and Wildlife, Omar Adan Hassan, announced plans to fix up hotels that were once run by the central government in the state's three provinces. He also mentioned creating wildlife reserves to protect animals and educating people about not hunting.
Government Buildings
In April 2015, a new state palace for the Interim South West State (ISWS) administration was opened in Baidoa. The event was led by ISWS President Sharif Hassan and attended by other leaders and community members.
State Flag
In 2002, when the South West State of Somalia was re-established, it adopted a new flag for the region.
Getting Around
In March 2015, work began on a new airport in Barawe. Engineers started surveying land near the coast for the facility. They also measured roads connecting the airport to the state's administrative capital. In May 2015, South West State president Sharif Hassan Sheikh Adan also announced that his government would reopen the K50 Airstrip in the region.
Images for kids
-
Women at a political function in support of the Southwestern State of Somalia administration (March 2009)
See also
In Spanish: Somalia Sudoccidental para niños
