MOGADISHU (Somaliguardian) – Somalia’s federal government on Sunday denied landing permission to aircraft carrying security personnel for the leaders of Jubaland and Puntland, ordering the planes to turn back while still in mid-air as the two regional presidents were due to attend election talks in Mogadishu on Monday.
Videos and images circulating online early on Sunday showed both regional administrations sending heavily armed presidential guards from their respective capitals, Garowe and Kismayo, towards the capital Mogadishu.
The Somali Civil Aviation Authority refused landing clearance for the two aircraft after receiving instructions from President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.
The federal government argues that the Jubaland and Puntland administrations reneged on a recent agreement reached by technical committees representing the government and the Somali Future Council, of which the two presidents are members. Under that agreement, each leader was to deploy a maximum of 30 armed guards and 10 plain-clothed officers to Mogadishu for personal security during their stay, and to share details of their weapons with federal security agencies.
However, representatives of the Somali Future Council who took part in the technical talks with the federal government rejected claims, conveyed through the media, that an agreement had been reached on the number of guards and the weapons the two regional administrations would bring to Mogadishu.
In separate statements, the Jubaland and Puntland administrations strongly condemned the federal government’s decision, saying it was intended to derail the dialogue called by President Mohamud. They argued that the president had initially expected them to reject the talks, but, once they accepted, he took further measures to prevent them from taking place.
The two administrations also said that, despite the government’s stated aim of resolving the election crisis through dialogue, President Mohamud had repeatedly taken steps that undermined the process.
Technical committees representing the Somali Future Council and the federal government had recently reached an agreement on the venue and security arrangements for the talks, with both sides agreeing that the discussions would be held at the Halane camp, which hosts foreign diplomatic missions.
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