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There is much talk about the Maakhir Conference that will be opening this weekend in the city of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Since the demise of the Somali central government in 1991, it has been very common for members of the Somali Diaspora to hold conferences focusing on specific regions. What are the current political and economical factors that are precipitating this conference? What is the purpose of this conference and what can its outcome be? In July 2010, the Puntland Army, stating the presence of Al Shabaab sympathizers, attacked forces loyal to Sheikh Atam in the mountain hills of Galgala causing the displacement of over 800 families as well as the destruction of the farms and livestock of the local villagers. The incursion by the Puntland Army, revived many frustrations and discontent felt by the local population forcing the elders and local politicians to take into serious consideration the need for the creation of a local government that will address the lack of economical progress in the Maakhir regions. There is talk of a project financed by the Kuwaiti government that has been brokered with Puntland which will be building the Lasqoray Port as well as a university in Badhan. The recent exposure of the contract signed between Puntland and the mercenary company Saracen, in which it states an anti-piracy force is being trained to fight pirates in the mountain hills of Galgala, is also of extreme concern for the elders, local politicians and Diaspora members. It is a documented fact that no pirates reside in Galgala and that their stronghold is in the coastal town of Eyl which is a few hundreds of kilometers away from the Presidential Palace of Garoowe. The Maakhir communities abroad and back home have in the past strongly rallied around two campaigns. The first one was the construction of the Lasqoray Port in which they demonstrated their will and determination to see that project come to a fruitful completion. The second time involved the quest for the Puntland Presidential seat by Gen. Abdullahi Ahmed Jama (Ilkojiir). The local and Diaspora Makhir communities have, in a unified manner, fully supported his presidential campaign. It is within this framework that the Maakhir Conference will be taking place January 15, 2011 in Minneapolis. This conference has been in the making for several months. Its aim is to bring together as much participants as possible to the table. As with all meetings organized by Somalis, there is already controversy surrounding this conference. There is an opposing group which is stating that a few people who hail from the Galgala region want to secede from Puntland and it is not the will of the Makhiri people. On the other hand, the supporters of the conference state that those opposing it are in fact just supporting one man – Gen. Ilkojiir. However, sources close to the organizing committee have stated that the conference is about how Maakhir intellectuals, elders, women and youth can contribute to the overall development of the Maakhir region. These same sources claim it is above all about linking the local and Diaspora population in order to determine their destiny. It is clear that this conference is the first of its kind for the North American Maakhir community. It is said that both the Garoowe and Hargeisa administrations are worried about this conference and are eagerly awaiting for its outcome. Many analysts and followers of Somali politics are speculating that the outcome will be the proclamation of a Maakhir State. The organizers of the conference have strongly denied this speculation. However, the issue of local government is among one of the topics to be presented at this conference. Jawaahir Jalxad _____________________________________________________________________ We welcome the submission of all articles for possible publication on WardheerNews.com
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