ABSTRACT
Somalia has lacked a stable central government since the country's 1991 civil war. After the dissolution of the Transitional Federal Government, which was established in 2004, strenuous negotiations between political actors in Somalia took place to adopt a provisional constitution, elect a new parliament, and appoint a new president and prime minister. The Somalia Conference took place at Lancaster House on May 7, 2013, co-hosted by the United Kingdom and Somalia and attended by fifty-four friends and partners of Somalia. Somalia needs a strong government that is able to reunite the population and overcome the social divisions in Somali society. A federal system and decentralization of political and economic decision-making processes is therefore seen as necessary to move forward, and Somalia needs to build the state on its regional foundations. Progress in Somalia is relative, but steps forward have been taken since the 2011 famine that struck large parts of the south of the country.
