Garowe (WDN) – Puntland has sharply escalated its confrontation with Somalia’s Federal Government, accusing President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud of pursuing military activities that it says threaten the security, stability, and constitutional autonomy of the Puntland State.

In a strongly worded statement issued, the Puntland administration alleged that the Federal Government is orchestrating military deployments inside Puntland without the consent of regional authorities, describing the moves as a direct challenge to Puntland’s governance and security institutions.

The administration further declared that it does not recognize any security forces registered by the Federal Government within Puntland’s territory, insisting that no force identified as the Puntland Security Force (PSF) forms part of Puntland’s legally recognized security apparatus.

The statement reflects the growing distrust that has come to define relations between Garowe and Mogadishu, with Puntland accusing the Federal Government of attempting to establish parallel military structures inside the state.

Puntland also issued a warning to neighboring Galmudug State, urging its authorities not to allow their territory or airports to be used for the transfer of weapons, armed personnel, or militia forces that could contribute to the escalating tensions.

As of publication, neither Somalia’s Federal Government nor the Galmudug administration had publicly responded to Puntland’s allegations.

The latest accusations come in the aftermath of recent armed clashes in the Laag area between Puntland forces and fighters associated with the PSF, an incident that further exposed the increasingly fragile security environment in northeastern Somalia.

The dispute unfolds against a backdrop of a much broader political crisis between Puntland and Mogadishu. The two sides remain deeply divided over constitutional amendments, the country’s electoral framework, the command and control of security forces, and the future balance of power within Somalia’s federal system.

Political analysts warn that the continued breakdown in trust between the Federal Government and Puntland risks transforming political disagreements into recurring security confrontations. With negotiations over Somalia’s constitutional future and electoral process already deadlocked, observers fear that additional military disputes could further complicate efforts to restore national consensus and political stability.

Whether the competing sides can reverse the growing atmosphere of suspicion through dialogue remains uncertain. For now, Puntland’s latest statement illustrates just how deeply relations between Garowe and Mogadishu have deteriorated, with security issues increasingly becoming another front in Somalia’s broader constitutional and political crisis.

WardheerNews