Relocating the capital from Mogadishu proved symbolically unacceptable to southern politicians.

Evidence

The spirit of reconciliation that supposedly informed Arta was further compromised when ‘Abdulqassim reneged on an agreement made at the conference (to secure the Digil Mirifleh vote) that the future capital would now move to Baidoa. In practice, however, it was back to Mogadishu and business as usual. In passing, it is interesting to note the symbolic significance of Mogadishu as the centre of sovereignty for these southern Somali politicians, sentiments shared by the Italians who seem to have difficulty conceiving of a Somali state without Mogadishu as its capital. — I.M. Lewis, I. M. Lewis, A Modern History of the Somali_ Nation…, 681

Categorization

• XREF: Mogadishu’s symbolic centrality parallels Lewis’s earlier treatment of the city as the locus of Somali sovereignty and the 1991 destruction described in prior chapters.

Related

• The interim government never controlled even Mogadishu itself. (similarity 0.78)