RRA invited to Djibouti for talks

The government of Djibouti has invited the Rahanwein Resistance Army (RRA) for talks with the Transitional National Government (TNG) of Somalia, a senior Djibouti official told IRIN on Wednesday. The official said the invitation went out to the RRA who had indicated their desire to go Djibouti, but "whether and when they will come I cannot say".

The RRA, which controls the Bay and Bakol regions of southwestern Somalia, are members of the Somali Reconciliation and Restoration Council (SRRC), an opposition grouping of southern factions opposed to the TNG. "They are, by far, the most important group within the SRRC, and if Djibouti can succeed in bringing the RRA and the TNG together, it would be the most significant move in completing the Arta process," a regional analyst told IRIN. Arta is the name of the Djibouti town where last year's Somali peace conference, which established the TNG, was held. "If the RRA joins the TNG, it would reduce significantly the importance of the other members of the SRRC," the analyst said. "The RRA is the only faction with undisputed control of a significant portion of territory."

The invitation was reportedly sent to the RRA chairman Muhammad Hasan Nur Shattigadud and his deputies. "We are always ready to facilitate any talks that will bring Somalis together, and offer them our good offices, but it is up to them to take advantage of that," the Djibouti official said. Somali sources, close to the RRA, told IRIN that Shattigadud and his two deputies are currently in Ethiopia. The source, however, declined to say whether Shattigadud and his group will proceed to Djibouti or not. "I cannot tell you where they go from here," the source said. Attempts to contact the RRA, by IRIN were unsuccessful.