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Last July, a quiet little meeting took place in the town of Garowe, capital of Somalia’s semi-autonomous Puntland region, and few except reporters and attendees paid attention. Present at the meeting were the Puntland administration, the UN Political Office for Somalia, and representatives from Galmudug State, the Sufi Islamic group Ahlu-Sunnah wal-Jamaa, and the Transitional Federal Government.

At the time not much fuss was made about the meeting, and neither was there very much press coverage, but as the first meeting of its kind in Garowe it cemented a new relationship that few had fully realized at the time. Puntland’s leaders were bringing together a coalition of progressive individuals into an organized partnership on a scale not seen since the Manifesto Group that was active at the outset of Somalia’s civil war. The Manifsto Group was a mostly civilian-driven alliance, but this new coalition is consisting of Somalia’s strongest players.

The coalition doesn’t always see eye to eye on the small issues, but their commitment to the cessation of hostilities between Somali parties and the dismantling of militant cells has bridged most gaps between them. The coalition met several more times, in Mogadishu, Garowe twice more, and recently in London this past Thursday.

Puntland leader Abdirahman Mahamud’s charm offensive began in late 2010 when Mogadishu’s mayor Mohamed Ahmed Nuur ‘Tarzan’ visited Garowe for Somalia’s first-ever all-inclusive regional sporting tournament. This was the first time that a major leader from southern Somalia had visited Puntland, opening the door for more diplomatic trips by Somali leaders to the region.

Somalia’s strongmen have seen the light, and they’ve started to prioritize longer-term rewards over short-term victories. The new coalition on the block, armed, organized, skilled, and backed to the hilt by the world community, is going to propel Somalia into a new era of security, prosperity, and good governance.