Garowe (AX) — A preliminary deal aimed at ending a standoff between Puntland State authorities and Danab troops based at the Ligle camp outside Garowe has been reached, bringing the unit closer to reintegration into Puntland State’s security structure.
The agreement was reached late Friday in Garowe at a meeting attended by a committee headed by former Puntland State President and Senator Abdirahman Faroole, Gen. Jimcaale Jamaac Takar and officers from the Danab command at Ligle.
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Under the deal, Puntland State forces stationed in the Laacdheere area outside Garowe are to leave the area during the week.
The Danab troops will undergo biometric registration before their formal incorporation into Puntland State’s security forces. Registration is scheduled to start Monday.
Puntland State authorities had previously recorded 450 Danab soldiers, but the entire force — estimated at roughly 700 personnel — will now be required to complete the biometric process.
The agreement also calls for the restoration of rights and financial benefits the soldiers say they lost. Those grievances reportedly helped fuel the dispute and prompted the force to align earlier with Somalia’s federal government.
The Nugaal Elders Committee will act as guarantor of the agreement, while both parties have pledged to uphold and carry out its terms.
The deal represents a renewed attempt to defuse tensions between the Puntland State administration and the Danab forces under Gen. Jimcaale’s command.
Reports also say Jimcaale has agreed to return his troops to the Puntland State Defense Forces and drop plans to keep them under federal government authority.
The Ligle-based Danab unit was among the last major forces in Puntland State still aligned with Mogadishu. Its reintegration would strengthen Puntland State’s control over forces operating in its territory and further reduce the federal government’s military footprint in the region.
