Puntland disowns Somalia’s president, says legitimate term ended

MOGADISHU (Somaliguardian) – Somalia has slipped into a deepening constitutional crisis after authorities in the semi-autonomous northeastern region of Puntland announced they no longer recognize Hassan Sheikh Mohamud as the nation’s president, declaring his legitimate mandate has expired. The regional fallout severely threatens the fragile political stability of the Horn of Africa nation, expanding a dangerous rift between the central government in Mogadishu and its federal member states. Reading from a joint communique following an emergency cabinet session on Thursday, Puntland Information Minister Farah Ali Hersi stated that the regional administration now regards Mohamud strictly as a former head of state. The regional government has fiercely appealed to international partners to cease official dealings with Mogadishu or ratify accords with an administration it deems illegal until a comprehensive political consensus is restored. The dispute hinges on a bitter disagreement over political timelines. The federal government insists that recently enacted constitutional amendments successfully extended the presidential term from four to five years, giving Mohamud another year in office to implement a transition away from the traditional, clan-based power-sharing model toward universal suffrage. Conversely, the opposition and regional leaders contend that Mohamud’s legal term expired on May 15 under the provisional constitution, invalidating any unilateral extensions passed by a parliament whose own mandate concluded in April. Further stoking the flames of the standoff, Puntland officials strongly condemned the federal government’s recent domestic policy choices in Mogadishu. The communique highlighted allegations of arbitrary arrests targeting dissenting political voices, as well as the forced demolition of homes and subsequent displacement of local residents in the capital. The regional leadership warned that such aggressive internal measures risk throwing an already volatile security landscape into outright chaos. Seeking to break the political deadlock, Puntland has called for an emergency national summit, inviting Somalia’s traditional elders, civil society leaders, and prominent politicians to chart a collaborative path forward and avoid a total vacuum of legitimate authority.