MOGADISHU (Somaliguardian) – Puntland President Saeed Abdullahi Deni on Wednesday delivered a scathing rebuke of Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s newly launched Justice and Solidarity Party, warning it could accelerate the fragmentation of the fragile Horn of Africa nation.
Deni questioned the legitimacy and motives behind the party’s formation, accusing President Mohamud of exploiting national institutions for personal political gain. “Where is the justice when the president is exhuming graves to sell land? Where is the solidarity when he divides the country and pits communities, such as those in Jubaland, against each other?” Deni asked during remarks on Wednesday evening.
The Puntland leader denounced the inclusion of federal state leaders from Galmudug, Hirshabelle, and Southwest in the party, all of whom are members of the National Consultative Council (NCC) — a top decision-making forum. He branded their participation as unconstitutional and politically manipulative.
Deni reiterated his longstanding boycott of the NCC, saying his absence was a prescient warning. I refused to attend the council meetings years ago because I foresaw its misuse. It has now degenerated into a partisan project — a platform turned personal political vehicle, he said.
The move has drawn sharp criticism from opposition figures, including former President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, who warned that the creation of the Justice and Solidarity Party signals the demise of the NCC as an impartial body.
President Deni called on Somali political stakeholders to reject what he described as an unconstitutional power grab and rally to preserve the unity and stability achieved through decades of reconciliation efforts.
“If this trajectory continues, we risk a collapse that will return us to the chaos we overcame through painstaking national dialogue,” he warned.
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