Somalia: Puntland, Jubaland accuse federal government of endangering delegation

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somalia’s Puntland and Jubaland on Sunday accused the federal government of endangering the lives of a delegation 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 States condemned what they described as a decision by the Federal Government of Somalia to deny air clearance to planes transporting security teams ahead of the arrival of Puntland President Said Abdullahi Deni and Jubaland President Ahmed Mohamed Islam, widely known as Madobe.

The two leaders were traveling to Mogadishu to attend a national consultative meeting between the federal government and the Somali Future Council, a forum expected to address contentious issues surrounding elections and constitutional reform.

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

Jubaland, for its part, described the decision as “irresponsible” and said it posed a direct threat to the advance delegation. The regional government said the aircraft had received prior clearance to depart from Kismayo and that federal authorities were aware of its flight, but issued an order for it to return as it was nearing 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 prior agreement on limiting the number of presidential security personnel.

Both Puntland and Jubaland said the incident reflected a lack of good faith by the federal government toward holding an inclusive dialogue aimed at resolving disputes over the country’s electoral process and constitution. They warned that the latest developments risk derailing the consultative talks altogether.

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

GAROWE ONLINE