Puntland State, Jubaland accuse Somalia’s federal government of jeopardizing their delegation

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Puntland State and Jubaland on Sunday accused Somalia’s federal government of endangering their delegations and security personnel after aircraft carrying troops and advance officials were ordered to turn back en route to Mogadishu.

In separate statements, the two Federal Member States condemned what they said was a federal government decision to deny air clearance to planes transporting security teams ahead of the arrival of Puntland State President Said Abdullahi Deni and Jubaland President Ahmed Mohamed Islam, widely known as Madobe.

The leaders were traveling to attend a national consultative meeting between the federal government and the Somali Future Council, a forum expected to address contentious issues tied to Somalia’s electoral process and constitutional reform.

Puntland State said the federal move put at risk the lives of presidential guards and officers and accused federal authorities — specifically President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud — of deliberately undermining the dialogue process. The statement said the actions suggested a lack of genuine intent to ensure the success of the talks and warned against what it described as efforts by Villa Somalia to weaken national unity.

Jubaland called the decision “irresponsible,” saying it posed a direct threat to its advance delegation. According to the regional government, the aircraft received prior clearance to depart from Kismayo and federal authorities were aware of the flight, but an order was issued for it to return as it neared Mogadishu — without verifying whether it had sufficient fuel.

Jubaland also said a civilian aircraft was similarly turned back and rejected claims that there had been any agreement to limit the number of presidential security personnel assigned to the trip.

Both Puntland State and Jubaland said the incident reflects a lack of good faith by the federal government in holding an inclusive dialogue aimed at resolving long-running disputes over elections and the country’s constitution. They warned the developments risk derailing the consultative talks altogether.

The federal government has not yet publicly responded to the accusations.

By Ali Musa
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.