Thursday April 3, 2025
Garowe (HOL) – Puntland's Minister of Information, Mahmoud Ceydiid Dirir, said on Wednesday that the Puntland administration will not participate in peace talks called by Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, citing the state's current focus on countering ISIS militants in the region.
Minister Ceydiid stated that Puntland President Said Abdullahi Deni is fully engaged in a security operation against ISIS elements in Puntland's mountainous areas and does not have the time or intention to attend the conference. He accused President Mohamud of attempting to shift blame onto Puntland for lack of national consensus.
"The international community asked the President to unite the Somali people. Instead, he wants to claim that others refused to show up," Ceydiid said. "Deni is leading a war effort, distributing military supplies and treating the wounded. He's acting as a real commander-in-chief. Meanwhile, Hassan Sheikh is playing politics — acting as President, Prime Minister, and even receiving African Union leaders that a Prime Minister should have welcomed."
President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud launched the national dialogue initiative last week, inviting federal member states, former leaders, and political stakeholders to discuss Somalia's future amid a rising Al-Shabaab threat, unresolved constitutional issues, and intergovernmental tensions.
While former presidents Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo and Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed welcomed the talks, Puntland has rejected the initiative outright, deepening the rift between the federal government and the semi-autonomous state.
President Mohamud's invitation was widely viewed as an attempt to enhance political unity and coordinate national efforts to defeat Al-Shabaab. The President's government has not responded to Puntland's statements as of Wednesday evening.