Garowe, Puntland – A political storm is brewing over Somalia’s national identification rollout, following Puntland’s information minister’s sharp criticism of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s idea that Al-Shabaab members could get the new NIRA identity card.
The comments, made at a heated press conference in Garowe, exposed the growing divide between the federal government and the country’s oldest federal state on security strategy, citizenship, and control of national bodies.
Mohamud Aydid Dirir, Puntland’s information minister, spoke bluntly. Addressing local reporters, he called the president’s stance reckless and risky.
“Anyone who takes the NIRA card will be seen as hostile, and we will detain them,” he stated. For Dirir, the matter goes beyond procedureit is fundamental.
He claimed the identity card initiative “was introduced illegally from the outset,” lacking broad national agreement.
“Hassan is president now, and he says he will issue IDs to Al-Shabaab,” he continued, depicting the policy as flawed and divisive.
Beneath Dirir’s strong rhetoric is a profound distrust: that Mogadishu lacks full dedication to fighting Al-Shabaab. He charged the federal government with keeping “working relations” with the militants, saying such links erode the efforts of security forces and communities confronting the threat.
The dispute arose after President Mohamud, at the end of the National ID conference in Mogadishu, noted that Al-Shabaab members who are Somali citizens could obtain the cards. He acknowledged the group might use proxies to register but said capturing their fingerprints and photos would enhance security.
“If they get the card, we will have their data,” the President explained, presenting the system as a means for ongoing counterterrorism surveillance.
In Puntland, however, where the regional administration has waged intense fights against militants in Bari and Sanaag mountains, the idea has fallen flat. Local officials worry it might grant militants false legitimacy or, worse, freer movement.
This confrontation highlights the challenges in Somalia’s state-building: even a routine measure like a national ID can escalate into a battle over authority, confidence, and citizenship in a nation grappling with conflict and division.
With positions firming up, the NIRA card debate has evolved into a broader challenge for Somalia’s capacity to develop cohesive national policies where security and politics are intertwined.
