Somalia’s capital becomes battleground in federal power struggle

[Deeq A.]

President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud might be leveraging claims of Puntland political entitlement while President Deni remains oblivious to such politically damaging perceptions.

Garowe (PP Comment) — At a press conference in Mogadishu a few days ago, the President of Puntland State of Somalia, Said Abdullahi Deni, contrasted the welcome he was  accorded in 2026 with the enthusiastic reception he received in 2021 in Mogadishu. “Where are the … MPs who thronged the venue where I was welcomed in 2021? Mogadishu is where secession in Somalia is being promoted,” said Deni, quoting the late Dr Ali Khalif Galaydh. “A clan is claiming Mogadishu, but that ownership claim will not go unchallenged,” added President Deni.

President Deni’s statement may be an unconscious nod to the historic local elections held in Mogadishu on 25 December 2025, where SINCAD, prominent Puntland political party, secured seats within the Banadir regional government. Currently, Deni maintains he will not leave the capital until a consensus is reached regarding the electoral model for the 2026 polls.

The political schism is palpable. The Federal Government of Somalia insists on a “one person, one vote” elections, while the Council for the Future of Somalia, comprising the Presidents of Puntland and Jubaland, among others, proposes a return to indirect elections. Unlike his stance in 2021, Deni is not campaigning for immediate regime change. While Council members agree on removing the incumbent President, they remain divided on critical issues such as the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA), the National Army and the management of. Somalia’s airspace

In 2021, President Deni was in alliance with President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, who won the 2022 indirect elections. President Deni and President Mohamud fell out over the appointment of Hamza Abdi Barre as Prime Minister in 2022. In 2023, Puntland State issued a position paper in which it severed ties with the Federal Government of Somalia. Among other preconditions, Puntland argued that unless the Somaliland Administration is included in the federal dispensation, Puntland State of Somalia would conduct its affairs as a separate federal member state, exercising powers similar to those of the Federal Government of Somalia.

Puntland President Said Abdullahi Deni forges a tactical alliance with political rivals despite fundamental disagreements on governance and sovereignty.

In 2023, Puntland State was at war with the Somaliland Administration, the secessionist entity, but managed to hold successful local government elections and pressed ahead with controversial constitutional amendments. President Deni’s opponents argued that unilateral amendments to the Puntland Constitution could provide the Federal Government of Somalia with an opportunity to amend the Draft Federal Constitution. They were vindicated after the democratisation process in Puntland faltered and paved the way for a return to the 66 electoral model in 2024 following mediation by traditional leaders from Laascaanood, which prevented confrontations between Puntland State forces and forces opposing the constitutional amendments.

While President Deni shares with some Mogadishu-based politicians, including a former President and three former Prime Ministers, the goal of reversing amendments to the Draft Federal Constitution, they disagree on the inclusion of MPs and Senators representing the Somaliland Administration in conducting indirect elections. President Deni accused the Federal Government of Somalia of treating the Somaliland Administration as a sovereign entity and of failing to speak out against the Somaliland Administration’s aggression against Puntland State in 2023. The main bone of contention in the Draft Federal Constitution revolves around the interpretation of certain articles, particularly those cited by Puntland State when it claims prerogatives to exercise powers similar to those of the Federal Government of Somalia. Puntland State of Somalia is the only federal member state advancing sovereigntist arguments somewhat similar to those of the secessionist administration in Hargeisa. Other federal member states accuse Puntland State of unwarranted political entitlement rooted in its historic role in proposing a federal system in Somalia after 1991.

There is an urgent need to bridge the interpretive gap between Puntland and the Federal Government of Somalia. Currently, Puntland appears to have too many priorities, despite reneging on its commitments to fiscal federalism, which obliges Puntland State of Somalia to harmonise its auditing systems with those of the Federal Government of Somalia. In 2012 and 2013, Puntland missed the opportunity to argue for a separate status similar to that of the Somaliland Administration, which maintains federal representation in Mogadishu despite rejecting the sovereignty of Somalia. Mogadishu political elites, whom Deni accused of claiming ownership of the capital of Somalia, had unwisely prioritised a few votes from Somaliland MPs and Senators over the sovereignty of Somalia, which Puntland State of Somalia unconditionally supports.

© Puntland Post, 2026