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Puntland bans specific federal officials and armed groups from entering its borders as the long-running constitutional rift between the semi-autonomous northeastern region and the central administration in Mogadishu hits a dangerous new peak. In a sweeping executive decree published late Wednesday, the regional Ministry of Security announced strict prohibitions against any central government personnel or military ranks accused of orchestrating political instability within the state. The defensive directive simultaneously targets unauthorized technical combat vehicles and non-regional armed militias, explicitly barring them from crossing border corridors or utilizing local airports without strict, pre-approved administrative clearances from the Garowe leadership. This aggressive policy shift effectively deepens the political isolation of the territory, serving as a direct rebuff to federal state-building efforts while introducing severe logistical hurdles for national security agencies operating in northern Somalia.
The sudden security crackdown follows a series of emergency high-level briefings conducted by the regional Security Committee and regional state head Said Abdullahi Deni. Local officials allege that central state actors have been actively orchestrating unauthorized militia recruitment campaigns within the territory to quietly build parallel command networks loyal to the capital. To aggressively counter this perceived subversion, regional troops have established a network of heavily reinforced regional military checkpoints outside major economic hubs like Bosaso, Galkayo, and Garowe. The new decree commands regional security forces to immediately confiscate illicit weapons, neutralize independent armed cells, and block any incoming aircraft suspected of airlifting federal military hardware into regional runways. Furthermore, the administration issued strict warnings against organizing political forums designed to challenge the legitimacy of the local executive branch.
The underlying friction is firmly rooted in a profound nationwide crisis that escalated dramatically after the Federal Government of Somalia unilaterally amended the national charter. Following the formal expiration of the federal presidential mandate on May 15, Puntland completely withdrew its official recognition of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s administration, declaring it illegitimate and accusing the center of driving authoritarian overreach. While federal authorities in Mogadishu have not yet released a public response to these sweeping movement bans, political analysts warn that the continuous collapse of institutional trust threatens to completely fracture the nation’s fragile federal compact. With localized friction intensifying, international observers remain deeply concerned that a prolonged domestic standoff will ultimately create dangerous security vacuums, undermining years of highly collaborative regional counterterrorism operations against al-Shabaab and Islamic State insurgent groups.