MOGADISHU (Somaliguardian) – Somali and Djiboutian leaders have gathered in Arta to commemorate 25 years since the landmark peace conference that laid the groundwork for Somalia’s first transitional government in 2000.
The ceremony brought together Djibouti’s President Ismail Omar Guelleh, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, former Somali leader Sharif Sheikh Ahmed and a host of senior political figures from both nations.
Speakers reflected on the Arta peace process, which emerged after the collapse of Somalia’s central government in 1991 and years of clan-based conflict and warlordism. They described the 2000 conference as a turning point that offered hope for rebuilding a functioning Somali state after years of lawlessness.
Officials at the anniversary ceremony said that although Somalia’s institutions remain fragile and heavily reliant on international support, progress made over the past two decades has been significant. They urged Somali leaders to prioritise reconciliation and self-reliance to consolidate peace and stability.
President Guelleh said Somalia’s recovery depends on unity and compromise among its political class, warning that long-term dependence on external actors would not deliver lasting peace.
The 2000 Arta conference, hosted by Djibouti, led to the creation of a transitional government under President Abdiqasim Salad Hassan. However, that administration struggled to assert control beyond limited areas of Mogadishu, facing opposition from powerful clan militias backed by neighbouring countries.
In 2004, a second peace process in Kenya produced a new transitional government led by Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed. The administration initially operated from Jowhar and Baidoa due to insecurity in the capital but later entered Mogadishu in late 2006 with the backing of Ethiopian troops. Since then, successive Somali governments have remained based in Mogadishu under the protection of African Union peacekeepers, though Ethiopia withdrew most of its forces in 2009.
Analysts note that while Djibouti’s role in hosting the original peace talks was pivotal, it was Kenya’s Embagati process and Ethiopia’s military intervention that ultimately enabled a Somali government to function from the capital.
A quarter of a century on, Somalia’s government still struggles to assert full authority beyond Mogadishu, which remains vulnerable to frequent attacks by the Al-Shabaab militant group controlling much of southern and central Somalia.
Despite persistent instability, many at the anniversary event said the Arta conference remains a historic moment that symbolised regional solidarity and the start of Somalia’s long journey toward statehood.
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