Garowe, Puntland – A senior Puntland official has accused Somalia’s federal government of collaborating with the militant group Al-Shabaab, marking the latest surge in tensions between Garowe and Mogadishu.
Speaking at a public event on Monday, Puntland’s Minister of Information, Mohamud Aidid Dirir, questioned why federal forces have failed to defeat the group despite possessing what he called substantial military strength.
Dirir referenced the government’s reported 80,000 soldiers, alongside more than 10,000 African Union AUSSOM peacekeepers and about 15,000 Ethiopian and Kenyan troops deployed through bilateral agreements.
He maintained that Al-Shabaab persists in operating in areas lacking the rugged terrain usually beneficial for guerrilla warfare, arguing this casts doubt on the government’s competence and motives. Dirir offered no evidence for his claim that the two parties “work together.”
These statements continue a pattern of bold remarks from the minister. In recent weeks, he challenged the religious qualifications of Somalia’s President and alleged without evidence that a Somali security officer in a government vehicle conducted a suicide attack last month on an intelligence facility housing a maximum-security underground prison. He asserted the event proved Al-Shabaab’s infiltration of state institutions.
The federal government has not responded to the latest claims.
Relations between Puntland and federal authorities have long been fraught, with conflicts over power-sharing, resource management, and constitutional arrangements driving ongoing political disputes. Both sides have recently sharpened their rhetoric, with no indications of progress or renewed discussions.
