BAIDOA, Somalia – The embattled leader of the Southwest state of Somalia on Tuesday convened a meeting with members of both houses of the Federal Parliament in Baidoa city.
The summit centered on the war on Al-Shabaab and flood response, according to regional president Abdulaziz Lafta-Gareen who invited the MPs to Baidoa for a consultative talks.
The conference comes as Southwest State’s interim capital, Baidoa faces devastating floods that impacted the IDPs who previously fled from the drought-hit regions within Southwest.
Lafta-Gareen said he wants a helping hand from the legislators in his efforts to degrade Al-Shabaab as the Somali government plans to start the 2nd phase of the war in his region.
Baidoa, surrounded by Al-Shabab militants, is at the heart of Somalia’s worst drought in 40 years, hosting more than one million IDPs, who are currently facing floods at their shelters.
According to the National Disaster Agency and aid groups, Somalia floods killed more than 53 people, and nearly 700,000 were displaced, some became homeless within their country.
The floods hit along the Juba River in early November, in areas such as the towns of Luuq and Baardheere, where a key bridge was swept away, leaving the local residents stranded.
