MOGADISHU (Somaliguardian) – Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud arrived Monday in the southern, Galmudug-administered half of Galkayo, a city still bearing the tension of recent fighting, as Puntland President Saeed Abdullahi Deni remained stationed in the northern half under his administration’s control just kilometers away.
Wararka Soomaaliya
The visit comes weeks after forces loyal to the two men clashed in the same city, an engagement in which Mohamud’s allied forces suffered a heavy defeat. It also comes days after Puntland authorities publicly warned the federal president against traveling to Galkayo, describing his presence as a threat to the state’s security.
Mohamud reached the city by road as part of a multi-day tour of districts across Galmudug state. The trip unfolds against a backdrop that officials and observers describe as extending beyond an internal Somali power struggle, with signs of involvement by outside states.
Saudi-Trained Graduates, Regional Rivalries
Faahfaahinta
Earlier this week, President Mohamud attended a graduation ceremony for more than 3,000 Somali soldiers trained by Saudi Arabia in Galmudug, under a bilateral defense agreement the two governments signed in February. That agreement followed Israel’s recognition of Somaliland, and the newly trained forces are intended to operate in northern Somalia, where they would counter both Somaliland and Puntland. Turkey and Qatar are also described as involved in the wider dispute taking shape around these
On the other side of the divide, Puntland and Somaliland are both described as receiving strong backing from the United Arab Emirates. UAE-trained and -equipped Puntland Maritime Police Force units are reported to have routed federal forces in the region within a matter of weeks.
Saamaynta
Beyond the immediate political theater, the visit is being read as a pointed signal: despite the recent battlefield defeat of his allied forces in Puntland, Mohamud remains present in Galkayo, and Puntland’s leadership – positioned only a short distance away – has been unable to prevent it.
The visit also appears aimed at shoring up support among clans in southern Galkayo who have resisted any federal military push into Puntland’s half of the city launched from their own territory. Weeks earlier, those same clans intercepted a weapons shipment that the federal government allegedly attempted to smuggle through to its allies in the northern half of Galkayo.
Parallel Meetings, Tightened Security
Wararka.so waxay kuu soo tebineysaa wararka ugu dambeeyey ee Soomaaliya iyo caalamka. Si aad ula socoto wararkii ugu dambeeyey, booqo boggayaga.
