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Former Puntland Finance Minister Hassan Shire Abgaal has strongly criticized President Said Abdullahi Deni, accusing him of mismanaging Puntland’s governance and isolating the region politically and economically. Hassan Shire, who returned to Garowe on Thursday after losing the 2024 Puntland presidential election, said Puntland is facing a worsening crisis that requires urgent dialogue among its leaders to decide the region’s political future.
Speaking to reporters, the former minister painted a bleak picture of Puntland’s current state. He claimed that government institutions have collapsed, employees have gone unpaid for months, and security forces are resorting to desperate measures to demand their salaries. “You know the state administration and government institutions are in disarray. There is not a single functioning government office in Puntland, and salaries of workers and soldiers have been delayed for over six months. Soldiers have set up checkpoints on the roads to demand their rights,” Hassan Shire said.
He accused President Deni of blocking cooperation with the Federal Government of Somalia, which he argued has hindered development projects and isolated Puntland from potential support. According to Hassan Shire, this refusal to collaborate with Mogadishu has left ordinary citizens struggling with hardship while Puntland falls further behind in governance and development. “Bad politics and bad governance have pushed Puntland into isolation,” he added, warning that President Deni would eventually be held accountable for the challenges people are facing.
The former finance minister also warned that the prolonged salary delays and breakdown of government services risk fueling instability, as security forces and civil servants grow increasingly frustrated. Roadblocks and protests by unpaid soldiers have already disrupted daily life, he said, reflecting how governance failures are directly affecting ordinary people.
To address the crisis, Hassan Shire called on Puntland leaders to come together and “build a new Puntland” based on dialogue and consensus. He proposed a broad political conference that would bring together stakeholders to discuss the region’s future and find common ground. In his view, only through such dialogue can Puntland overcome its current challenges and restore stability.
His comments come at a time when Puntland’s political environment is already tense. Reports have emerged in recent days that opposition groups in Puntland and leaders from Jubbaland are considering holding a joint meeting, possibly in Garowe or Kismayo, to discuss their shared political concerns. Although these reports remain unconfirmed, the idea of collaboration between regional opposition forces signals growing frustration with the federal government and its policies.
Relations between Jubbaland and the federal government have long been strained, particularly over political disagreements and the ongoing voter registration process, which several regions, including Puntland, have rejected. Opposition leaders argue that the federal government is acting unilaterally without consulting regional administrations, raising fears of further political divisions.
Against this backdrop, Hassan Shire’s call for dialogue in Puntland reflects broader dissatisfaction with the direction of governance in Somalia’s federal system. His sharp criticism of President Deni underscores the deep fractures within Puntland itself, where opposition leaders are increasingly vocal about mismanagement and stalled development.
While it remains unclear whether Puntland leaders will heed his call for a political conference, Hassan Shire’s message highlights a growing demand for change. For many in the region, the question now is whether Puntland can find a way forward through dialogue and compromise, or whether continued political deadlock will deepen the challenges facing its people.