Mogadishu (WDN)_ Flights transporting security personnel assigned to the leaders of Puntland and Jubaland were turned back from Mogadishu following a direct order from the Federal Government of Somalia, according to multiple sources familiar with the decision.

The aircraft, originating from Garowe and Kismayo, were carrying security units, advance delegations, and civilian passengers when they were instructed to return mid-journey. Members of the Federal Government’s technical committee tasked with coordinating with the Somalia Future Council say they were neither consulted nor informed in advance of the order.

Committee members described the decision as unexpected and disruptive “All agreed procedures were followed on our side,” said one committee member, speaking on condition of anonymity. “The instruction to turn back the flights came from outside the established coordination framework.”

Many believe the directive to block flights from Kismayo and Garowe from landing in Mogadishu came from Prime Minister’s office, reflecting lingering grudges and deep political disagreements between PM Hamse and the administrations of Jubaland and Puntland.

The President of Puntland, speaking to the press, described the failure to ensure the aircraft had sufficient fuel as a “criminal act” and stated that those responsible would be held to account.

A senior aviation and security official familiar with the airspace decision confirmed to WardheerNews that the scope of the order was highly unusual. “This was not a routine security restriction or airspace management issue,” the official said. “Civilian and delegation flights were treated the same way, which signals a political directive rather than an operational necessity.”

The move has intensified concerns about the integrity of federal coordination mechanisms and the increasing use of executive power outside agreed procedures.

The order did not affect only flights carrying security details and political delegations. Civilian flights already airborne, as well as scheduled commercial departures, were also halted—an extraordinary measure that aviation and political observers say could only have been authorized at the highest level.

Members of the Somalia Future Council committee insist that all previously agreed protocols governing the arrival of advance teams, security personnel, and travel arrangements for leaders of the federal member states had been fully implemented. They characterize the sudden flight cancellations as a clear violation of understandings reached ahead of the consultative process.

Sources close to Villa Somalia say the national consultative meeting planned for tomorrow has been abandoned, with its future now uncertain. The talks were expected to focus on deepening disputes over the electoral process and proposed constitutional amendments—issues that have already drawn strong resistance from opposition leaders and several federal member states.

Observers warn that the decision to block flights risks further eroding trust between the federal government and regional administrations, reinforcing fears that political coercion—rather than consensus—is increasingly shaping Somalia’s federal governance.

WarddheerNews