The Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) and Puntland are at odds, and Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has asked the heads of Hirshabelle, the South West, and Galmudug to go to Garowe and mediate a settlement.
According to sources close to the meeting, talks lasted for several hours and was chaired by President Mohamud, with the attendance of Ahmed Kaahiye Qoorqoor, Galmudug, Abdiaziz Laftagareen, South west state and Ali Guudlawe of Hirshabelle state.
During the meeting, the leaders discussed the latest situation in Somalia, particularly the operations against Al-Shabaab and the progress made so far. They also agreed to start the second phase of the war against Al-Shabaab as soon as possible.
According to reliable sources, the main objective is to convince Deni to participate in the upcoming meeting of the National Consultative Council (NCC), which is scheduled to take place in the middle of May in the city of Dhusamareb, the capital of the Galmudug administration. The meeting is planned to focus on the war against Al-Shabaab and the 2026 elections.
Puntland President Said Abdullahi Deni skipped the top leaders meeting in Baidoa early this year held in the interim administrative capital of Southwest attended by both federal and regional state leaders.
Deni was an opponent of the previous government led by Farmajo, and he is now at loggerheads with the new government, which is led by Hassan Sheikh who competed against him the May 14 election last year.
Early this year, Deni’s office released a statement announcing that Puntland is “now acting as an independent government,” accusing the federal government of trying to return to a centralized federal government. The statement was widely condemned by the opposition.
During town hall meeting held Monday evening at the Jazeera hotel in Mogadishu, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud denied allegations of a growing rift between the Federal Government of Somalia and the Federal Member States.
Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has called upon the leaders of Hirshabelle, South West, and Galmudug to travel to Garowe to mediate an end to the dispute between the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) and Puntland.
President Mohamud presided over the lengthy discussions, which included Ahmed Kaahiye Qoorqoor of Galmudug, Abdiaziz Laftagareen of South West State, and Ali Guudlawe of Hirshabelle State, according to sources close to the meeting.
Moreover, continued heightened internal tensions undermine the stability of the Red Sea corridor by exacerbating deep fissures within an already broken state . Unless this state rivalry within Somalia is stymied, the prospects of the country being able to address its problems appears bleak.
