Sanbaloolshe and Afrax discuss Hiiraan crisis in Beledweyne
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Caasimada Online
A meeting is being held in Beledweyne, central Somalia, between Sanbaloolshe and Afrax in an attempt to ease tensions in the Hiiraan region. The regional capital has for several weeks been the scene of a standoff between federal authorities and local Macawiisley militias.
Somali MP Abdullahi Mohamed Ali Sanbaloolshe and Hirshabelle State Vice-President Abdifatah Hassan Afrax met in Beledweyne to seek a way out of the political crisis in the Hiiraan region. Their meeting ended without an agreement, Caasimada Online reports.
The private meeting was held in the garden of a Beledweyne businessman. Sanbaloolshe is a member of Somalia’s Federal Parliament, while Afrax serves as vice-president of Hirshabelle, a federal member state of which Hiiraan is part.
The meeting comes two days after a federal delegation arrived in Beledweyne to try to ease the crisis. It also follows accusations made on 7 November by a Xawaadle chief against the authorities, whom he accused of wanting to invade Hiiraan.
