Somalia: Puntland Rejects SODMA Claims, Accuses Federal Agency of Sending Expired Aid

GAROWE, Somalia — Puntland’s Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, Ubax Abdirashid Mohamed Hirsi, has fired back at comments made by Somalia’s national disaster agency chief, denying claims that Puntland rejected humanitarian assistance for areas recently cleared of ISIS militants.

The remarks come in response to statements by Mahamuud Macallin, head of the Somali Disaster Management Agency (SODMA), who alleged that Puntland President Said Abdullahi Deni refused permission for SODMA to deliver aid and medical support to Al-Miskaad, a mountainous region where Puntland forces have pushed out ISIS fighters.

Minister Ubax dismissed the claim, accusing SODMA of offering expired medications and irrelevant supplies. “Puntland does not need face masks and expired COVID-19 kits like the ones you delivered to Hiiraan when people there needed emergency trauma care,” she said, referencing a past aid delivery to the conflict-hit town of Moqokori.

Her remarks highlight growing tensions between the federal government and Puntland, a Federal State that has often clashed with Mogadishu over political and administrative control.

Macallin, speaking earlier in Hiiraan’s Jalalaqsi town, said he personally reached out to President Deni to request permission for SODMA to provide aid to wounded soldiers and civilians in need.

According to him, Deni turned down the request due to ongoing political rifts with Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre.

The standoff underscores how political divisions in Somalia continue to complicate the delivery of critical humanitarian support, especially in conflict-affected areas where civilians are in urgent need of assistance.

GAROWE ONLINE