Nairobi (Commentary) — The Puntland State of Somalia prides itself on being the first autonomous administration in post-1991 Somalia. Its prominent role in state-building initiatives risks being undermined by knee-jerk policy-making by the incumbent government of President Said Abdullahi Deni.
At the United Nations Security Council session on Somalia earlier today Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield Representative of the United States of America to the United Nations commended the Federal Government of Somalia and Federal Member States for reaching an agreement on the National Security Architecture unveiled in 2017 in London Somalia Conference. The Puntland State Government did not sign the National Security Architecture agreement.
President Deni said that Puntland State would “act independently until the new Somali constitution is completed.” His volte face came after a visit to Mogadishu wherein he endorsed the fisheries agreement and production-sharing agreement with Coastline Exploration, two agreements that Puntland State initially rejected before being persuaded to be on board with other Federal Member States.
The United Nations deplored Puntland’s decision to stop working with the Federal Government of Somalia. At the UN Security Council Session on Somalia today, Lana Zaki Nusseibeh, the UAE Ambassador at the United Nations, lauded the leaders of the Federal Government of Somalia for the governance progress made since the election of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on 15 May 2022.
In the absence of a debate on government policies in Puntland, the risk that Puntland State’s role is to be diminished by decisions based not on deliberations but on whim grows. The role of the civil society and non-incumbent political stakeholders is missing.
Puntland State has put a lot of effort into playing a key role in rebuilding Somali’s state institutions based on a federal system to avoid the experience of a centralised state-building synonymous with state failure. Puntland can no longer claim to be the custodian of the federal system if its leaders choose to become politically isolated. The only politically viable option for Puntland is to re-engage with the Federal Government of Somalia and change the habit of making policies on the hoof in Puntland. Political isolation does not serve the interest of Puntlanders.
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