Mogadishu (Somalia Today) – Somalia’s federal government blocked the entry of security details for two powerful regional leaders at Mogadishu’s Aden Adde International Airport on Sunday, escalating a bitter political standoff just 24 hours before crucial election talks were set to begin.
The incident has thrown the scheduled Monday dialogue into uncertainty, deepening the rift between President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and the leaders of the semi-autonomous states of Puntland and Jubaland, who accuse the central government of sabotage.
Authorities at the Somali Civil Aviation Authority (SCAA) denied landing clearance to planes carrying advance security teams for Puntland President Said Abdullahi Deni and Jubaland President Ahmed Madobe.
Controllers ordered the aircraft, which had departed from Garowe and Kismayo respectively, to turn back while in mid-air.
The confrontation highlights the severe distrust plaguing the Horn of Africa nation as it struggles to finalize a framework for upcoming elections.
‘Dialogue or war?’
The Federal Ministry of Internal Security defended the decision, stating that the regional administrations had attempted to deploy “unknown troops and weapons” into the capital without adhering to established security protocols.
In a Sunday statement, the ministry claimed the move violated agreements technical committees reached regarding the delegates’ security detail.
The government insists that an agreement limited each leader to 30 armed guards and 10 plainclothes officers to ensure safety within the highly fortified Halane airport complex, which houses Western diplomatic missions and the United Nations.
“The Federal Government of Somalia is responsible for the safety and security of its citizens,” the ministry stated.
“We regret that members of the Future Council… attempted to deploy troops and weapons unauthorized by the security protocols intended to secure the international airport.”
Somali Defence Minister Ahmed Moallim Fiqi issued a scathing rebuke of the regional leaders, accusing them of militarizing a peace process.
“When they travel to Addis Ababa, Nairobi, and Dubai, they travel secretly with suitcases and queue at immigration. But when traveling to their own capital, they arm themselves as if heading to their last war,” Fiqi said.
“Are they going to dialogue or war?” Fiqi added, suggesting the leaders would better utilize the troops fighting the Al-Shabaab insurgency in their home regions rather than “acting in a movie” in Mogadishu.
‘Reckless and hostile’
The targeted regional administrations, united under the opposition umbrella “Somali Future Council”, vehemently denied the government’s claims and accused President Mohamud of fabricating security concerns to derail the conference.
Jubaland officials said they had communicated their flight plan to all relevant agencies, including the conference organizing committee.
They condemned the mid-air turn-back order as a “hostile decision” that risked a catastrophic aviation incident.
“Authorities issued a sudden order for it to return to Kismayo, without any verification of whether the plane had sufficient fuel for the return trip,” the Jubaland presidency said in a press release.
“This behavior demonstrates a lack of good faith and a failure of commitment to finding a solution.”
Both Jubaland and Puntland officials flatly rejected the government’s claim that the sides had agreed upon a limitation on guard numbers, calling the reports “entirely false and baseless”.
The Somali Future Council issued a statement late Sunday confirming the flights contained officials, press, and security details for the regional presidents.
They condemned the “irresponsible decision” to turn the planes back and stated that technical teams had indeed reached an agreement regarding security clearances, which they claimed the government violated.
“President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and his government took a reckless, dictatorial decision that endangered the lives of the delegations aboard the returned planes,” the Council said.
They accused the government of a pattern of obstruction, citing “meetings and rhetoric contrary to the dialogue’s intent,” “changing the constitution,” and “blocking delegation flights” as evidence.
“It is unfortunate that the Villa Somalia leadership has today risked the lives of the Puntland President’s security detail,” the Puntland government stated separately.
“This is a pattern of obstructing the good faith of the scheduled conference.”
Election deadlock
The standoff comes at a critical juncture for Somalia. The talks scheduled for Monday at the Halane base aimed to resolve a long-running dispute over the country’s electoral model.
President Mohamud’s administration has pushed for constitutional changes to introduce universal suffrage, moving away from the complex clan-based “4.5” system used in past elections.
However, Puntland and Jubaland have fiercely opposed the unilateral implementation of these changes, arguing they consolidate power in the executive and undermine the federal system.
The “Future Council” opposition bloc had previously boycotted several rounds of National Consultative Council (NCC) meetings.
Observers saw their agreement to attend Monday’s talks as a breakthrough, which international partners mediated to ensure political infighting does not distract from the war against Al-Shabaab terrorists.
The venue for the talks, the Halane camp, is the most secure zone in the country. The federal government argues that bringing heavy weaponry into this zone poses a threat to foreign diplomats and international operations.
However, given the history of volatility in Mogadishu, regional leaders often view federal security guarantees with skepticism, preferring to rely on their own praetorian guards—a practice that has frequently led to tense standoffs in the capital.
The Federal Government reiterated that its invitation to dialogue remained open, urging regional leaders to “respect security protocols” to create a calm environment for the talks.
The Future Council, however, warned that while they remain ready for “honest dialogue,” they will be “reviewing the path of the talks” in light of the day’s events.
