By HAN News Desk
ARTA – A major commemoration is set to take place in the city of Arta, Republic of Djibouti, marking 25 years since the historic Somali National Reconciliation Conference that paved the way for the re-establishment of Somalia’s Third Republic in the year 2000.
The Arta Conference, organized and hosted by Djibouti’s President Ismaïl Omar Guelleh, was a landmark moment that revived hopes for statehood in Somalia after eight years of civil war and total collapse.
When President Guelleh assumed office in 1999, he announced his intention to contribute to peace and order in neighboring Somalia. Addressing the United Nations General Assembly that year, he pledged to host a genuine Somali-led peace dialogue aimed at ending the country’s protracted conflict.
Within a year, Arta transformed into a hub of hope and reconciliation. Thousands of Somali delegates—representing clans, civil society, religious leaders, and the diaspora—gathered in the small Djiboutian town to discuss the nation’s future.
Although regional administrations such as Puntland and Somaliland, along with some factional leaders, boycotted the talks, representatives from every other part of Somalia attended. The conference became known for its rallying slogan: “We Can Rebuild Our Nation.”
After several months of negotiations, the delegates agreed to establish the Third Somali Republic. Abdiqasim Salad Hassan was elected President, and Professor Ali Khalif Galayr (late) was appointed Prime Minister.
The new transitional government became Somalia’s first functioning administration since the 1991 collapse of Siad Barre’s regime. It laid the foundation for rebuilding national institutions and for the federal system that gradually took shape in the years that followed.
A quarter-century later, Somalia has made notable progress. The country now has a working federal government, regional states, and a slowly maturing political system—though challenges in security, governance, and reconciliation persist.
President Ismaïl Omar Guelleh, still serving as Djibouti’s head of state, plans to host a commemorative event on October 30 to mark the 25th anniversary of the Arta Conference. The ceremony, to be held at the newly inaugurated Peace Monument in Arta, will bring together Somali Federal President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, leaders of federal member states, representatives of Somali civil society, international dignitaries, and officials from the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).
President Guelleh is widely credited for his courage and vision in bringing Somalis together at a time of deep division. The Arta process is remembered as the initiative that rekindled national hope and restored Somalia’s path toward peace and governance.
Today, Arta stands as a symbol of peace, dialogue, and Somali unity—a reminder that Somalia’s rebirth was made possible through regional solidarity and the enduring commitment of the Djiboutian people.
