Garowe (WDN) — Puntland has formally reintegrated a group of Danab forces previously aligned with Somalia’s Federal Government into the Puntland security structure, marking another significant step in the administration’s campaign to bring all armed formations operating within its territory under a single command.
The latest development took place at Ligle military camp in Garowe, where Puntland Interior Minister Abdi Hirsi Ali Qarjab, former Puntland President and Senator Abdirahman Mohamed Farole, members of the Nugaal mediation committee and other officials visited the facility.
They were received by General Jimcaale Jama Takar, commander of the Danab forces, who confirmed that his troops had returned to the Puntland security forces after spending nearly a year under the Federal Government’s command.
Following the visit, Minister Qarjab said the Danab personnel had begun the formal registration process to join Puntland’s security institutions, describing the move as the resolution of the grievances that had previously separated the force from the regional administration.
The reintegration is politically significant because it effectively removes another parallel security structure from Puntland and brings the troops back under the authority of the state’s unified security command.
From Federal Alignment to Puntland Command
The Danab unit at Ligle had spent close to a year aligned with the Federal Government, becoming part of a wider dispute over the recruitment, training and deployment of security forces from Puntland territory.
Puntland has consistently opposed the creation or deployment of federal forces within its territory without the authorization of the regional government, arguing that security institutions operating inside Puntland must ultimately fall under the state’s command structure. The latest agreement appears to represent a negotiated resolution rather than a military confrontation.
The involvement of senior political figures, including former President Farole and the Nugaal mediation committee, suggests that dialogue played an important role in bringing the two sides together. The development comes amid a broader Puntland effort to consolidate its security institutions.
Over recent days, Puntland authorities have taken control of several military facilities and forces that had previously aligned themselves with the Federal Government. Those moves have been presented by Garowe as part of a wider policy to eliminate competing chains of command and establish a unified security architecture across the state.
The return of the Danab forces therefore carries significance beyond the personnel involved. It strengthens Puntland’s argument that armed forces recruited or stationed within its territory should ultimately serve under the authority of the Puntland Government rather than operate as parallel federal formations. For Puntland, the principle is increasingly clear: one territory, one lawful security structure and one chain of command.
A Potential Turning Point
The peaceful reintegration of the Danab forces could also offer a model for resolving similar disputes involving other personnel previously transferred to Federal Government structures.
Rather than allowing competing security loyalties to become a source of confrontation, the Puntland administration appears to be pursuing a combination of political negotiation, mediation and institutional reintegration.
Whether the approach will resolve the wider dispute between Puntland and Mogadishu remains uncertain. But the return of General Jimcaale’s forces to Puntland’s command represents a notable de-escalation in a dispute that has increasingly centered on who controls the security institutions operating inside Puntland.
For now, the soldiers at Ligle are no longer being presented as a separate federal-aligned formation. They are being brought back into Puntland’s official security system—a development that could strengthen the administration’s efforts to establish a unified command and reduce the risk of future clashes between competing security forces.
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