Puntland Accuses President Mohamud of Arming Militias as Federal-State Tensions Reach Boiling Point

GAROWE – The Puntland administration has issued a formal warning to Galmudug State, accusing the federal government of orchestrating military movements intended to destabilise the region and undermine Puntland’s governance structures, in the latest escalation of a long-simmering political and security crisis.

In a statement dated July 25, Puntland described President Mohamud as a “term-expired president” and said it was closely monitoring military activities in and around its territories. The statement did not provide full details on the forces it claimed were being mobilised, but insisted that the situation constituted a direct threat to Puntland’s security and institutions.

Warning to Galmudug

Puntland issued a specific warning to Galmudug State, which shares a long border and administers the city of Galkayo jointly. Garowe called on Galmudug not to allow its airports and territory to be used for the transit of military supplies, weapons or militias that Puntland said could be used to attack or destabilise its communities.

“Puntland urges Galmudug to refrain from allowing military convoys and militias to pass through the airports and land under its control, which are intended to harm the people of Puntland,” the statement read.

The warning came two days after Puntland’s Deputy Security Minister Abdirahman Yusuf Dujaana alleged that the federal government had smuggled weapons into Galkayo, on the Galmudug-controlled side of the city. Dujaana said Puntland possessed evidence of the arms shipment and would take measures to defend its security. The federal government has not responded to the claim.

The PSF Dispute and Laag Clash

The statement also reiterated Puntland’s position that the Puntland Security Force (PSF) does not legally exist within its defence structure. “The Puntland government confirms that there is no force called PSF that legally forms part of the Puntland defence forces,” the statement said, rejecting any federally registered military units operating inside its territory without authorisation.

The warning follows deadly clashes between Puntland’s Dervish forces and PSF fighters in the Laag area outside Bosaso on July 20, where at least one soldier was killed and several PSF fighters were captured, along with military vehicles and weapons. The confrontation began when Puntland forces stopped a PSF convoy that had departed Bosaso, after the administration had previously banned military movements by forces not under its command.

Puntland forces subsequently took control of the Laag area. The PSF, which was once a US-backed counter-terrorism unit, has been at odds with President Said Abdullahi Deni’s administration since late 2021, when the president attempted to dismiss its then-commander, Mohamud Osman Diyaano. Although Deni later reinstated Diyaano, the underlying tensions never healed.

A Broader Political Confrontation

The military tensions are the latest manifestation of a wider political rift between Puntland and the federal government. Deni has accused President Mohamud of “breaking the country apart” and warned that Somalia’s political crisis had reached a critical point requiring immediate action. Puntland maintains that the president’s term expired on May 15, 2026, under the 2012 Provisional Constitution, a claim the federal government rejects, insisting that Mohamud remains in office until May 2027 under constitutional amendments passed by parliament in March 2026.

Deni has accused the federal government of “openly creating piracy” and warned that Puntland would take “all necessary measures” to defend its position, stating that the region would use “all its resources, even if it requires bulldozers and shovels”. The opposition Somali Future Council, of which Deni is a key member, has warned that it would move to establish a parallel government if no political consensus on elections is reached.

Deni has also undertaken unannounced foreign trips, travelling to Ethiopia and the UAE, reflecting the deepening political and economic crisis gripping Puntland, which faces a 32.4 percent budget shortfall, a closed Bosaso port, and months of unpaid civil servant salaries.

Way Forward

Puntland’s warning to Galmudug and its accusations against the federal government mark a significant escalation in the confrontation between Garowe and Mogadishu. With both sides entrenching their positions, the risk of military conflict has increased, particularly in the Mudug region and the contested city of Galkayo.

The international community has largely remained silent on the growing rift, but the collapse of US-mediated talks at the Halane compound in May 2026 has left no clear diplomatic path to de-escalation. As Puntland continues to reject federal authority and the federal government insists on its mandate, the crisis threatens to further fragment Somalia’s fragile federal system.

The people of Puntland and Galmudug, who have long coexisted across the Mudug border, now find themselves caught between competing political agendas. Whether dialogue can be revived, or whether the confrontation will continue to spiral, remains uncertain.