Prime Minister Escalates War of Words with Puntland President as Constitutional and Electoral Disputes Remain Unresolved

Mogadishu (WDN) — Somalia’s political crisis has entered another tense phase after Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre launched a sharp response to Puntland President Said Abdullahi Deni, accusing him of promoting the fragmentation of Somalia after Deni warned the United Nations that growing public pressure in Puntland was pushing the region toward a possible independence path.

Hamza’s intervention comes at a politically difficult moment for his government, with no comprehensive agreement yet reached among Somalia’s principal political actors on the constitution, electoral model or the future structure of the election administration.

Against that backdrop, the Prime Minister’s attack on Deni can also be viewed as an attempt to shift the political conversation toward national unity and away from the unresolved disputes that continue to paralyse the electoral and constitutional process.

Deni Takes Puntland’s Grievances to the UN

In a letter dated September 24 to UN Secretary-General António Guterres and the President of the UN Security Council, Jérôme Bonnafont, Deni said Puntland had spent years advocating for a stable federal system in Somalia but had become increasingly frustrated with the direction of the country’s state-building process.

According to the letter, Puntland is facing growing pressure from sections of its population calling for a path toward full independence because of what the Puntland government describes as persistent political disagreements and a lack of meaningful cooperation from Mogadishu.

Deni said Puntland had long supported federalism as a framework for rebuilding Somalia but suggested that the failure to establish a workable political settlement had intensified calls for a different political future. The letter represents a significant escalation because Puntland’s grievances have now been placed directly before the United Nations.

Hamza Fires Back

Hamza responded by rejecting any suggestion that Somalia could be divided, insisting that his government would defend the country’s unity, territorial integrity and sovereignty. He also directly rebuked Deni. “Said, it was not appropriate for you to call for the separation of the Somali people. That will remain part of your historical record,” Hamza said.

The Prime Minister made the remarks while opening a national tourism exhibition in Mogadishu attended by hundreds of people. His response placed the question of Somali unity at the centre of the political debate—precisely the terrain on which the federal government has traditionally sought to mobilise public support when confronted by disputes with federal member states. But the bigger crisis is still unresolved

The exchange between Hamza and Deni comes as Somalia’s political system remains deeply divided over the rules that will determine the country’s next political transition. The most important unresolved questions include the completion and interpretation of the constitutional process, the electoral model, the timetable and mechanisms for elections, and the composition and credibility of the institutions responsible for administering them. These are not secondary disagreements.

They determine who can participate in elections, how votes are organised, how political power is transferred and what constitutional rules govern the relationship between Mogadishu and the federal member states. Without agreement on those fundamentals, declarations about national unity do little to resolve the practical political crisis.

A Government Under Increasing Political Pressure

For Hamza’s government, the confrontation with Deni comes at an increasingly difficult moment. The federal government needs political agreement with the country’s major political stakeholders and federal member states if it is to establish a broadly accepted electoral process. Yet the continuing dispute with Puntland demonstrates how far that consensus remains.

The government’s confrontation with Puntland has already disrupted relations between Mogadishu and Garowe. The latest exchange risks widening the divide rather than narrowing it. This creates an obvious political dilemma for the Prime Minister.

By confronting Deni publicly, Hamza can place himself on the side of Somali unity and territorial integrity, a position likely to resonate strongly with many Somalis. But the political gain from that argument does not answer the harder questions confronting his government: What constitutional settlement will govern the country? What electoral model will be used? Who will administer the election? And what political agreement will persuade Puntland and other dissatisfied actors to accept the process? Those questions remain unresolved.

The Risk of Winning the Argument but Losing the Process

The latest confrontation therefore risks becoming another episode in Somalia’s increasingly personalised political struggle. Deni has internationalised Puntland’s grievances by taking them to the United Nations. Hamza has responded by framing the dispute as a question of national unity.

But Somalia’s immediate political problem is more complicated than either position. The country needs an agreement on the rules of political competition before the next election can command broad legitimacy. Without such an agreement, accusations of separatism, political attacks and appeals to national unity may dominate the headlines while the underlying institutional crisis remains untouched.

Hamza may score an immediate political point by confronting Deni over Somali unity. But Somalia’s deeper crisis cannot be solved through political rhetoric. Until Mogadishu and its opponents reach agreement on the constitution, the electoral model and the institutions that will administer the election, the country’s political future will remain uncertain.

WardheerNews