On 11 December 2011, Al Jazeera Center for Studies (AJCS) hosted a private meeting with Somali President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, at the Torch Hotel in Doha during an official visit to Qatar.
Attendees included the Somali Ambassador to Qatar, H.E. Mr. Omar Shaik Ali Idris and the Somali Assistant Minister of Reconciliation, the Deputy Foreign Minister and the advisor to the Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister, and a member of parliament.
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The Somali President, Sheikh Sharif Ahmed with staff from AJCS and Al Jazeera Net, at the Torch Hotel, Doha |
Dr. Salah Eddin Elzein, the Center's Director, and a number of AJCS and Al Jazeera Net employees as well as a number of researchers took part in the meeting.
President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed spoke in depth about Somalia's current political challenges. He stressed that since central power collapsed in 1992; the challenges have been most difficult in the Horn of Africa and have only increased with foreign intervention.
The meeting included a question-and-answer session. The President concluded by emphasising why the situation in Somalia was of significance to other countries.