Garowe — Leaders of Puntland and Jubbaland states on Thursday accused Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud of politicizing humanitarian aid, abusing constitutional powers, and misusing Somalia’s airspace to pressure federal member states.
In a strongly worded joint statement released after talks in Garowe, Puntland President Said Abdullahi Deni and Jubbaland President Ahmed Mohamed Islam Madobe alleged that the president had failed to uphold cooperative federalism and was using control of the airspace as a political weapon against regional administrations.
The two leaders called for “timely and transparent regional elections” and urged international donors to channel humanitarian support and other resources directly to the member states until a formal resource-sharing framework is agreed.
“The politicization of aid and airspace management is damaging Somalia’s fragile stability,” the communiqué read.
“We must put the interests of Somali people first and not those of political ambitions,” it added.
The statement also revealed that Puntland and Jubbaland plan to lodge a formal complaint with the United Nations’ International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) over what they described as “airspace management abuses,” signaling a potential new diplomatic rift between Mogadishu and key federal states.
The accusations come amid ongoing political tensions over Somalia’s constitutional review process, delays in scheduled elections, and continuing disputes over federal revenue sharing.
The President’s office had not responded to the allegations at the time of publication.