Puntland President Urges Somaliland to Honour Ceerigaabo Peace Agreement

[Deeq A.]

President Deni: “Ceerigaabo is a district inhabited by people who are politically affiliated with both Somaliland and Puntland.”

Garowe (PP Editorial ) — President of Puntland State of Somalia, Said Abdullahi Deni, voiced support for the 1995 Ceerigaabo Agreement as a path to meaningful peace and communal co-existence.

“Ceerigaabo is a district inhabited by people who are politically affiliated with both Somaliland and Puntland. They have lived in the city under a historic agreement. It does not reflect well on the new administration of Somaliland that this historic agreement is facing cracks. I urge the Somaliland administration to revisit the agreement for the peaceful co-existence of people in the district,” said President Deni.

President Deni not only supports adherence to the agreement but also welcomes the candid support expressed for it by Garaad Abdullahi Garaad Saleebaan. “Even when Somaliland forces were shelling Laascaanood, we never called for conflict in Ceerigaabo,” said Garaad Saleebaan in Laascaanood last year.

The President of the Somaliland Administration Abdirahman M. Abdullahi welcomed the policy statement on Ceerigaabo made by the President of Puntland.

There were unfortunate incidents caused by militiamen of  Burco, who fuelled hostilities in Ceerigaabo. The West Burco Clan traditional leaders and the Mayor of Ceerigaabo condemned the politically motivated displacements caused by those militias.

The leader of the SSCK interim administration, Abdulqadir Aw Cali, reportedly aligned with the policy statement of the Puntland State President regarding Ceerigaabo.

As the leader of a federal member state that fully controls two Sanaag districts and under whose federal jurisdiction falls the Sool, Sanaag and Cayn interim administration, President Deni has shown remarkable peace-making leadership. It is noteworthy that in October 2023, when King Burhan was visiting Laascaanood, he similarly called for a peaceful resolution of the conflict. “It was an unnecessary conflict. A peaceful solution is the way forward,” said King Burhan.

President Deni’s intervention is binding on all Puntland State stakeholders, including SSCK leadership. The leader of the SSCK interim administration, Abdulqadir Aw Cali, reportedly deferred to the policy statement of the Puntland State President on Ceerigaabo.
There is no question that Ceerigaabo falls under the jurisdiction of the Somaliland administration. The onus of protecting the property rights of all Somali citizens in Ceerigaabo rests with the Somaliland administration. President Deni welcomed the election of Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamud Abdullahi. It is time to build on the peace-making initiatives proposed by President Said Abdullahi Deni.

© Puntland Post, 2025

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