Puntland President Warns Somalia is Approaching a Breaking Point, calls for Hassan Sheikh to Resign

GAROWE (WDN) — Somalia is edging towards a dangerous political rupture, with Puntland President Said Abdullahi Deni warning that the country needs urgent national dialogue to prevent further fragmentation and calling on President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud to step down.

In an interview with Puntland Television, Deni dismissed the Federal Government’s planned national consultation conference in Mogadishu, scheduled for November 14–18, 2026, describing it as a futile exercise unlikely to produce meaningful results.

President Hassan Sheikh has invited the Nabad iyo Nolol party, the Somali Future Council, the National Unity Forum and civil society organizations to participate in the proposed talks. But Deni questioned the sincerity and effectiveness of the initiative, arguing that the country’s political crisis requires a genuine process rather than another round of meetings organized by Villa Somalia.

“There is nothing to expect from Hassan Sheikh, and he cannot organize an election. His meetings are a waste of time,” Deni said. He called on Somalis to unite in a broader national consultation aimed at rescuing the country from its deepening political crisis.

Puntland, he added, would not withhold its contribution to efforts to protect both its own interests and those of the Somali nation.

Deni demands presidential resignation

In an even more direct challenge to the Federal Government, Deni urged Hassan Sheikh to resign, accusing him of failing to lead the country and steering Somalia in the wrong political direction.

“I would advise Hassan Sheikh, out of concern for the people, the country and even himself, to resign. A transitional council should be established to take the country towards elections,” the Puntland president said.

His proposal for an interim governing council reflects growing opposition to the Federal Government’s handling of the political transition and the unresolved dispute over the electoral process. Deni argues that a new transitional arrangement is necessary to prevent the crisis from deepening and to create a credible path towards elections.

The remarks amount to a serious political challenge to the authority of the presidency at a time when relations between Garowe and Mogadishu have deteriorated sharply. Puntland and the Federal Government have been locked in a prolonged dispute that has weakened cooperation between the two administrations and exposed the fragility of Somalia’s federal arrangements.

Fear of national disintegration

The significance of Deni’s warning extends beyond the confrontation between two political leaders. Somalia is facing a widening dispute over the electoral system, the constitutional framework and the legitimacy of the institutions responsible for managing the country’s political transition.

With Villa Somalia and opposition groups unable to reach agreement, the prospect of parallel political processes and competing claims to authority is becoming an increasingly serious concern. If the dispute remains unresolved, the country risks moving towards a situation in which federal institutions lose the confidence of key member states and political stakeholders, further weakening the already fragile federal system.

The danger is not necessarily an immediate formal breakup of Somalia, but a gradual erosion of the political consensus that holds the federation together. Federal member states could increasingly pursue separate political and security arrangements, while national institutions struggle to exercise authority beyond areas under their direct control.

Deni’s call for a transitional council therefore raises a fundamental question: can Somalia preserve a functioning federal state without an agreed constitutional and electoral settlement?

The planned Mogadishu conference may offer an opportunity to reduce tensions, but Puntland’s rejection of the initiative underscores the depth of the mistrust confronting the Federal Government. Without meaningful participation from the principal political stakeholders and a credible agreement on the way forward, another consultation risks becoming an exercise in political positioning rather than a route out of the crisis.

Somalia’s political leaders now face a choice between compromise and further confrontation. The cost of failure could be far greater than the collapse of a political dialogue: it could threaten the cohesion of the federal state itself.

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