Puntland’s Information Minister, Mahmoud Aydiid Dirir, said that the official status of the Somali capital is stated in Article 9 of the Interim Constitution, which states that a final decision will be made after a review of the constitution, and a separate law will be issued by both houses of the Federal Parliament of Somalia.
Dirir noted that no one can claim the capital today, as the constitution clearly states that the decision is up to the national legislative bodies.
He pointed out that the debate on whether the capital should be located in a federal territory or be the capital of a regional administration is an issue that needs to be clarified in the law that is being approved by Parliament.
The minister highlighted that if we refer to the history of the Banadir Region, there is no “no one who can claim” the city, as various Somali peoples have inhabited the city before the modern state was established.
He said that the people called Banadir are the most privileged community in the city, and have long been an important part of Mogadishu’s history and culture.
Finally, the Minister of Information stressed that the issue of the status of the capital cannot be resolved by shifting clan or historical claims, but requires a legal decision that unites all Somali people.
