By Nuh Mohamed - Reporter
Somalia, 1 February 2026 Regional administrations in Puntland and Jubaland accused Somalia’s Federal Government on Sunday of “endangering lives” after two planes carrying their presidential guards were prevented from landing in Mogadishu.
In separate statements, both Puntland and Jubaland condemned the federal government for what they described as a politically motivated move that violated prior agreements and threatened national unity.
Puntland’s statement said its delegation was traveling in good faith to attend a long-delayed consultative summit with the federal authorities. “The Federal Government has taken a deliberate, erroneous decision that violates all prior agreements,” it said, calling the action “life-threatening” for its officials.
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Jubaland’s Minister of Information, Abdifatah Mohamed Mukhtar, dismissed claims from the federal government that the states had exceeded security limits or failed to submit flight manifests. “These false claims about security numbers are entirely baseless,” he said.
Sources from the federal government told Dawan Media that the aircraft violated agreed procedures, which limit the number of guards per delegation to 40 and require advance submission of a flight manifest listing passengers and equipment.
The incident comes amid preparations for a long-awaited summit in Mogadishu between the federal government and regional councils, which is scheduled to open this week.
