Puntland forces seize government-held camp in Somalia’s Galkayo

Armed forces from Somalia’s semi-autonomous Puntland state have attacked a camp held by federal government troops, in the latest flare-up between regional leaders and the Somali government.

Puntland President Said Abdullahi Deni told a news conference on Wednesday in the regional capital Garowe that the assault was “a planned security operation” to send a “clear message to anyone working against the Puntland government”.

“The operation targeted a camp where the federal government has recently been transporting weapons, military equipment and troops in an attempt to undermine Puntland’s security and stability,” he claimed.

Deni said his administration had repeatedly raised concerns over the Somali president’s decisions, but did not elaborate.

“These actions are disrupting Somalia’s already fragile peace and, in particular, threatening the long-standing stability of Puntland, which has remained peaceful for many years,” he said.

Government-held camp overrun

Heavily armed Puntland forces, backed by military vehicles, launched an operation on Wednesday morning against a military camp near the airport in northern Galkayo city.

The camp was occupied by troops formerly aligned with Puntland authorities but whose commanders recently pledged allegiance to Mogadishu.

Undated footage circulating on social media appeared to show armed men purporting to be Puntland forces taking control of a military facility. It is not clear where the footage was filmed.

In a short statement, Puntland police said local forces had “successfully concluded a planned security operation”, leading to the arrest of more than 100 people.

The statement said the Puntland forces had also “seized weapons, vehicles and military equipment, including firearms, ammunition, police uniforms, handcuffs, police boots and other supplies”.

Galkayo residents told the AFP news agency that they had heard several mortar rounds, some landing in residential areas, during the fighting, which lasted for more than an hour. Casualties were reported, but exact figures were not available.

Resident Mohamed Jama told AFP by telephone that the fighting had ended.

“Puntland forces took control of the camp where the fighting occurred, while the opposing forces aligned with the federal government withdrew to southern Galkayo after being overpowered,” another resident, Abdiqani Muse, said.

No immediate reaction

Neither the federal government nor commanders of the rival force have issued a response to Puntland’s claims.

It is not the first such clash in the country.

In March, federal troops attacked and deposed the leader of South West State, and in August last year, fighting broke out between the federal army and Jubaland forces, killing a number of soldiers.

The thorny relations partly stem from the decision by Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud to change the constitution in March before planned elections. Opposition parties and rivals are against the reforms, seeing them as a power grab by the president.

Somalia is deeply fractured along regional lines, with Puntland President Deni being a vocal opponent of President Mohamud’s push to centralise governance.