Garowe (Dawan Africa) – The Somali Federal Member States of Puntland and Jubbaland announced Thursday that they will file a formal complaint with the United Nations’ International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), accusing the Federal Government of Somalia of misusing control over national airspace for political purposes.
The move was declared at the close of a high-level summit between Puntland President Said Abdullahi Deni and Jubbaland President Ahmed Mohamed Islam (Ahmed Madobe), held in Garowe from June 23 to 25. The joint meeting culminated in a strongly worded communique detailing the two states’ grievances with Mogadishu over governance, federalism, and institutional power-sharing.
In one of the statement’s sharpest rebukes, the leaders asserted that the Federal Government has turned airspace management into a tool of “political coercion and exclusion,” particularly against member states that refuse to align with its electoral or constitutional directives.
“The Federal Government has politicized airspace control in violation of the spirit of federalism,” the communique stated. “This undermines national cohesion and sets a dangerous precedent for centralized abuse of shared institutions.”
Somali airspace was officially returned to national control by ICAO in 2018, after decades of foreign oversight based in Nairobi. Since then, the airspace has been managed by the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation in Mogadishu.
However, Puntland and Jubbaland argue that the federal government’s continued control is unconstitutional, citing the absence of a nationally ratified agreement on the matter. They claim the ministry has restricted regional flight operations and humanitarian access, using airspace oversight as leverage in political disputes.
The two states now plan to escalate the matter internationally, calling on ICAO to launch an “impartial review” and urging the global aviation body to ensure airspace governance aligns with Somalia’s Provisional Constitution.
The announcement marks a sharp escalation in the ongoing dispute between the central government and federal member states, amid broader tensions over constitutional amendments, election management, and the balance of power within Somalia’s fragile federal system.
