Somalia: FGS sets up federal military command in strategic port of Bosaso, Puntland

MOGADISHU, June 27, 2026 – The term-ended Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has ordered the creation and deployment of a new federal military unit in the strategic port city of Bosaso, bypassing Puntland command structures amid escalating political and security maneuvers in the northeastern Federal State, official documents showed.

According to presidential decrees dated June 22, Lieutenant Colonel Abdullahi Osman Abdullahi, widely known as "Diyano", has been appointed commander of the newly formed 17th Battalion.

Crucially, the decree explicitly states that the Bosaso-based 17th Battalion will report directly to the Federal Government of Somalia, operating completely independently of the Somali National Army's (SNA) 54th Section, which traditionally oversees regional operations.

Lt. Col. Abdullahi is the brother of prominent local security figure and political actor Asad Diyano. The structural shift follows fierce resistance from the Diyano faction against a previous command appointment under General Jimale. Local sources indicate Mogadishu conceded to their demands by extracting the unit from its former alignment under the 32nd Battalion to grant it direct federal oversight.

The moves have effectively fractured the local ranks, forcing prominent political and military figures spanning the Mudug and Bari regions to split their allegiances between Gen. Jimale’s 54th Section and Lt. Col. Abdullahi’s federalized 17th Battalion.

The developments have triggered shifts within the local coalition, dubbed the "Allied Gathering" by its members. Observers note that while the frontline commanders under the two factions are being heavily leveraged due to their readiness for active combat, they remain entirely dependent on external financial and logistical backing from political stakeholders who prefer to pull strings from the sidelines.

GAROWE ONLINE