Garowe (WDN) – Efforts to defuse the political and security standoff in Garowe have ended in disappointment after a mediation committee from the Nugaal region returned from Las Anod without securing a breakthrough in talks with Gen. Jimale Jama Takar.

According to sources familiar with the discussions, the committee spent the past two days meeting with Gen. Jimale in an attempt to ease tensions between him and the Puntland administration. However, the talks failed to produce an agreement.

Sources told WardheerNews that Gen. Jimale refused to engage in any negotiations with Puntland President Said Abdullahi Deni while he remains in Las Anod. He is also reportedly unwilling to return to Garowe under the current circumstances.

The Puntland administration maintains that the Federal Government of Somalia recently appointed Gen. Jimale as commander of the 54th Division of the Somali National Army. Puntland officials insist that, should he wish to enter Garowe, he must first resign from the position or publicly declare that he has neither accepted nor holds the appointment.

The impasse comes amid worsening relations between Puntland and Mogadishu. In recent weeks, President Deni’s administration announced that no individual holding an official position in the Federal Government would be permitted to enter Puntland through its borders or airports, further escalating the political confrontation between the two sides.

Although the security situation in Garowe has largely returned to normal, the underlying dispute remains unresolved. Security forces deployed during the recent crisis continue to man checkpoints and key entry routes into the city, underscoring the authorities’ continuing concerns over the fragile situation.

The failed mediation highlights the deep mistrust that continues to characterize relations between Puntland and the Federal Government, leaving the political deadlock unresolved despite efforts by regional elders to broker a peaceful solution.

WardheerNews