Puntland President Said Abdullahi Deni is set to return to the country amid political and security tensions in his administration.
President Deni has cut short a trip to the UAE and is currently in Addis Ababa for secret meetings with his former ally, the AARANJAAN group.
The president and his friends AARANJAAN parted ways during Deni’s campaign for the presidency of the Federal Government of Somalia.
But Deni now wants to bring back his former allies amid political pressure from the Puntland parliament, which has refused to approve the president’s nominees for the Supreme Court.
The AARANJAAN group is believed to have a strong presence among Puntland lawmakers. The group, which is mostly made up of politicians and businessmen from the Nugal region, is a group that is widely criticized in Puntland society.
The President of Puntland is working hard to get the members of the Supreme Court approved, marking the beginning of a plan to change Puntland’s presidential election process with less than 17 months to go.
Deni is also said to want to use the Supreme Court in his plan to oust the Speaker of the Puntland Parliament.
The Supreme Court has the power to amend the laws passed by Parliament last year that amended the number of votes to remove the Speaker from office.
Meanwhile, the security situation remains tense following this week’s clashes at Bossaso Airport between the UAE-funded PMPF and the US-trained PSF Command.
Monday’s clashes in which 12 soldiers were killed came after the PMPF refused to land a plane carrying donations from the federal government and a delegation led by the Deputy Speaker of the Federal Parliament and Acting President of the Federal Republic of Somalia Ms. Sa’diya Salad.
Traditional leaders in the Bari region have accused the Puntland government of obstructing the delivery of humanitarian aid to the region.
Puntland Vice President Ahmed Karash also suspended two ministers accused of being behind the clashes in Bossaso.
Puntland is currently experiencing a severe economic downturn and drought in the region, as well as political tensions in major cities such as Bossaso, Garowe and Galkayo.
Hanad Askar
Horseed Media
