Jubaland, Puntland State accuse Somalia’s federal government of turning back security delegation flights

MOGADISHU — Somalia’s Jubaland and Puntland State regional administrations on Sunday accused the federal government of blocking planes carrying their soldiers and presidential security guards from landing in the capital, an escalation that threatens a planned high-level consultative conference on elections.

Both regional states said aircraft transporting advance delegations and security details were ordered to turn back shortly before landing at Aden Adde International Airport. The orders, they said, were unsafe, politically motivated and aimed at undermining the talks.

In a statement, the Jubaland administration said it “strongly regrets the irresponsible decision” to divert a flight carrying members of a preliminary delegation and the personal security guards of Jubaland President Ahmed Mohamed Islam, known as Ahmed Madobe. Jubaland said the flight had prior clearance from the Civil Aviation Authority, the conference organizing committee and federal security agencies but was instructed to return to Kismayo as it approached Mogadishu.

The decision, Jubaland added, was made without assurance the aircraft had sufficient fuel to make the return journey, calling it “a hostile decision that put the lives of the preliminary delegation at risk.”

Puntland State issued a parallel complaint, saying members of President Said Abdullahi Deni’s presidential guard were also ordered back from Mogadishu. In a statement, Puntland State accused federal leaders of taking steps to derail the consultative process just days after Puntland State and the Somali Future Council accepted invitations to attend the talks.

“Until the Puntland State government and the Somali Future Council as a whole accepted the invitation to participate in the meeting, the President of the Federal Government took steps aimed at thwarting the promised meeting,” Puntland State’s statement said. Speaking separately, Deni called the diversion “a criminal act and attempted murder that will be held accountable in due course.”

The Somali Future Council, a bloc that includes leaders from Puntland State and Jubaland, also condemned the move. The council said it joined the federal government’s dialogue platform “in good faith,” but accused Mogadishu of actions at odds with the spirit of talks, citing public rhetoric, ongoing constitutional amendments and restrictions on flights carrying delegates. It said it remains open to “sincere talks,” while reserving the right to review participation.

Federal government sources defended the decision, telling reporters Mogadishu was alarmed by plans to deploy hundreds of regional troops from Garowe and Kismayo, which they said could project a misleading picture of insecurity in the capital. The sources said federal authorities agreed to allow up to 30 uniformed and plainclothes security personnel to accompany each regional president but alleged both Jubaland and Puntland State tried to bring more than 100 each.

The dispute underscores longstanding mistrust between Somalia’s federal leadership and its member states, particularly over security control and election management. During fraught negotiations in 2021 under then-President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, known as Farmaajo, state leaders arrived with sizable armed details; current President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud was then in the opposition alongside Ahmed Madobe and Said Deni.

Sunday’s standoff injects new uncertainty into the upcoming consultative conference and raises fresh doubts about whether federal and regional leaders can reach consensus on Somalia’s contested electoral roadmap. It was not immediately clear whether the talks would proceed as scheduled or whether delegations would attempt to return under revised security arrangements.

By Ali Musa
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.