BOSASO, Puntland (WDN) — Puntland President Said Abdullahi Deni is set to travel to Badhan, the contested Sanaag region capital, as political maneuvering intensifies over the future governance of Sool and Sanaag.

President Deni, currently based in the port city of Bosaso, will be accompanied by senior officials from his administration during the visit. In Badhan, he is expected to hold key meetings with traditional elders and community representatives from the region.

The trip comes against the backdrop of an ongoing conference in Lasanod organized by Villa Somalia to formalize the creation of the SSC-Khatumo administration, which aims to govern both Sool and Sanaag under a single regional authority.

However, the initiative has faced backlash from some local leaders. Traditional elders from Sanaag, led by Sultan Said Sultan Suldan Abdisalan, have openly rejected the Lasanod conference, calling it unrepresentative and lacking legitimacy. Despite this, a number of participants from Sanaag are taking part in the talks, fueling divisions within the region.

Many believe President Deni has lacked the forward-looking vision, leadership skills, and effective communication necessary to govern a region as vast and strategically important as Puntland. His planned visit to Badhan is widely seen as too little, too late—a reactive attempt to reassert Puntland’s historic claims over Sanaag and to shore up relations with local leaders, as the Federal Government intensifies efforts to extend its influence in the region.

WardheerNews