Mogadishu (WDN) – Somalia’s political crisis escalated on Wednesday as Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre and President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud launched blistering attacks on Puntland President Said Abdullahi Deni, further widening the rift between Mogadishu and the semi-autonomous federal state.
Speaking at an event in Mogadishu on Tuesday night, Prime Minister Hamza fired back at remarks made by President Deni on July 1, declaring that he—not Deni—represents the people of Puntland within the Federal Government.
Hamza argued that Puntland had long been denied its fair share of representation in Somalia’s national armed forces and vowed to address what he described as a longstanding imbalance. “We are recruiting 30,000 soldiers from Puntland. I represent them. Whether you like it or burst with anger, that’s the reality,” the Prime Minister declared in a direct jab at Deni.
He further claimed that under the new recruitment drive, Puntland would receive a significant share of positions in the Somali National Army, saying that for every three soldiers recruited, two would come from Puntland.
The Prime Minister’s remarks came in response to Deni’s Independence Day speech, in which the Puntland leader dismissed Hamza as “Hassan’s boy” and accused President Hassan Sheikh of using him to portray Puntland and Jubaland as greater obstacles to Somalia’s unity than Somaliland.
Hours later, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud also used his address at the closing ceremony of Somalia’s Independence Week celebrations to reject Deni’s accusations that the Federal Government was attempting to destabilize Puntland.
“It is false to claim that the Federal Government is creating unrest in Puntland,” Hassan said. “We have been paying the salaries of some Puntland-registered soldiers for nearly a year. If our intention was to provoke conflict, why didn’t those forces rebel during all that time? These allegations have no basis in fact.”
The President also blamed Deni for the complete breakdown in relations between Mogadishu and Puntland. “There is currently no relationship between the Federal Government and Puntland. It was Said Deni who severed Puntland’s ties with Somalia,” Hassan declared.
The exchange marks one of the fiercest public confrontations yet between Somalia’s federal leadership and Puntland’s administration, underscoring the growing political polarization ahead of key electoral and constitutional milestones. With both sides hardening their rhetoric and trading accusations in public, prospects for dialogue appear increasingly remote, raising fresh concerns about the future of Somalia’s fragile federal system.
WardheerNews