On Friday 7 February 2014, the Nairobi Forum of the Rift Valley Institute (RVI) convened a meeting on the new political dispensation in the Puntland State of Somalia.

Speakers and participants discussed issues around transition of power, ethnicity, constitution, and border conflict with Somaliland, piracy and relations with the Federal Government of Somalia.

The meeting was chaired by Mr Mustafa Omer of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) and the speakers included Mohamed Jama Waldo of the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD Centre), Dr Cedric Barnes of the International Crisis Group (ICG), Abdurahman Abdille Osman of Puntland Development and Research Centre (PDRC) and Safiya Abdullahi Yusuf of the Puntland Diaspora Forum.

The 73 participants were drawn from the diplomatic, research, academia, business, and humanitarian communities.