MINNEAPOLIS, USA – A senior minister from Somalia’s semi-autonomous state of Puntland has publicly threatened President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, accusing him of deliberately destabilizing the region and fueling deadly conflicts, a significant escalation in the political standoff between Puntland and the central government in Mogadishu.
In a fiery address to the Puntland diaspora community in the US, State Minister for Planning Farah Aw Osman threatened that the Somali president would face “accountability” for bloodshed.
“President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud will be held accountable for the blood spilled in Ras Kamboni and Dhahar. You are responsible for every single drop,” said Osman, directly linking the president to recent and past violence.
The minister’s remarks tap into a deepening political crisis that analysts warn could fracture Somalia’s fragile federal system and derail efforts toward national reconciliation. The relationship between Garowe, Puntland’s capital, and Mogadishu has disintegrated over constitutional disputes and territorial authority.
Flashpoint in Sanaag
Osman’s accusations follow recent deadly clashes in July 2025 in the town of Dhahar, located in the contested Sanaag region. The fighting involved Puntland state forces and militias aligned with the newly-formed Northeast administration, an entity that the federal government officially recognized in October 2023.
Puntland, which has administered parts of Sanaag for decades, vehemently opposes the federal government’s backing of formerly SSC-Khaatumo, viewing it as a direct assault on its territorial integrity and an attempt to sow division.
“I regret that the people we sent to Mogadishu to defend Puntland’s interests have now become those working to divide it,” Osman added, criticizing politicians from Puntland who serve in the federal government. “They are carrying a lit torch among the Somali people.”
The conflict over territory is a symptom of a more profound constitutional disagreement. In a dramatic move in March 2024, the Puntland government announced it was withdrawing its recognition of and ceasing cooperation with federal institutions.
The decision came after President Mohamud signed into law controversial constitutional amendments that Puntland said were passed without the necessary consensus from all federal member states.
The changes, which include a shift towards a presidential system and give the president power to dismiss the prime minister, were seen by Puntland’s leadership as an illegal power grab by Mogadishu.
Puntland, which was established as an autonomous state in 1998, has been a cornerstone of Somalia’s federal experiment but has consistently demanded greater autonomy and a clear framework for power and resource sharing.
Historical grievances
The minister’s reference to “Ras Kamboni,” a town in the southern Jubaland state, alludes to historical grievances over the formation of federal states, suggesting a pattern of central government interference during President Mohamud’s first term (2012-2017) and continuing into his current one.
The current crisis revolves around the status of the Sool, Sanaag, and Cayn (SSC) regions. These territories are historically disputed between Puntland and the self-declared Republic of Somaliland.
Following a local uprising against Somaliland’s authority, leaders from the SSC regions declared their administration, seeking to be recognized as a separate federal member state under Mogadishu’s direct authority. The federal government’s formal recognition of this interim administration in late 2023 was a pivotal moment that set it on a collision course with Puntland.
Political analysts have expressed grave concern that the escalating war of words could translate into wider armed conflict, undermining the ongoing fight against the Al-Shabaab insurgency and jeopardizing the fragile stability achieved in recent years.