The Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary General (SRSG) Michael Keating have congratulated the people of the newly-formed State of HirShabelle.

Speaking during the inauguration ceremony in the state capital, Jowhar, the Somali president said the formation of HirShabelle State was achieved after months of a negotiation process.

“We got here because of our patience. We never left anyone behind. All those who felt disgruntled were convinced and were part of the journey. Patience and resilience helped us achieve this and when people had lost hope, we remained steadfast”, President Mohamud said,  “It is the confidence and trust that we had in each other that have helped us form this state.”

The President of the new state, Ali Abdullahi Osoble, said HirShabelle would respect the rights of women as they play a major role in the development of any society.

“We are in an electoral process period. HirShabelle will not be left behind. We will elect our MPs of the Upper House through negotiations. We will also work with the clans to elect the MPs for the lower house,” the Hirshabelle President added.

The SRSG, while congratulating President Osoble upon his inauguration, said the occasion was incredibly important since Hirshabelle was the outstanding federal member state.

“It’s a big jump forward today. The federal project has been confirmed”, Keating stated.

The SRSG said it was important for the state to have a robust agenda for the people of the two regions that form the state.

“Jowhar is the central, big, rich agricultural area but things are not in great shape and the question is whether the administration can have a development agenda that brings real benefits to all the people of the new state”, Keating added.

He commended four of the six federal states of Somalia for having elected 23 percent of its members for the Upper House. He also said the next phase of the process was to elect the members of the Lower House.

Keating observed the election for both houses should be inclusive, in accordance with what was agreed by the National Leadership Forum.