MOGADISHU, Somalia – Puntland State President Said Abdullahi Deni on Monday launched a sharp attack on term-ended Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, accusing him of arming pirate groups, weakening the federal system and unsettling regional administrations across the country.
Addressing the opening of Puntland State’s parliamentary session in Garowe city, Deni said the federal government had abandoned the power-sharing arrangement at the heart of Somalia’s federal model and was instead pushing to centralise authority in Mogadishu.
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He described Hassan Sheikh’s actions as a “political and legal hijacking” of the constitutional order, and said Puntland State would not recognise or accept any move it believes violates the federal agreement.
“Puntland State has stood against the political and legal abduction committed against the agreed system of governance, and we will continue to resist it,” Deni told lawmakers.
His most explosive claim came when he accused the Somali president of having “openly created piracy,” saying the president was behind armed groups that attacked maritime traffic in international waters and off Somalia’s coast.
“He has launched a direct assault on the federal system and the administrations operating in the country,” Deni said. “He openly created pirates. Earlier, he carried out an armed attack in Ras Kamboni in which Somali citizens were killed.”
Deni also accused the federal leadership of stoking political turmoil in Baidoa, alleging it had engineered a “political coup” that brought down the established governing structure in South West State.
The latest comments deepen an already fraught relationship between Puntland State and the federal government, which has been strained by disputes over constitutional amendments, elections and how power is shared between Mogadishu and the federal member states.
The federal government had not immediately responded to Deni’s allegations.
The confrontation underscores the widening political divide inside Somalia at a time when the country is still grappling with serious security threats, including the fight against Islamist militants and efforts to rebuild state institutions after years of conflict.
AXADLETM
