Sunday 20,April 2025 {HMC} Opposition leaders in Puntland are urging a comprehensive political dialogue following the Somali federal government’s recent recognition of the SSC-Khaatumo administration.
The Puntland Political Forum (PPF), a coalition of prominent opposition figures, welcomed the federal recognition of SSC-Khaatumo and called it a “politically significant milestone” with implications for Puntland’s governance.
“The Puntland Political Forum anticipated that federal recognition of SSC-Khaatumo would trigger a structural rethinking of Puntland’s political framework,” the group said in a statement this week.
Their remarks come just days after Somali Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre visited Las Anod, the seat of the newly recognized SSC-Khaatumo administration. The Forum praised the trip as a sign of shifting dynamics in Somalia’s federal landscape and an opportunity for broader national reconciliation.
The group called on residents of both Puntland and SSC-Khaatumo to strengthen cooperation, emphasizing shared interests and regional stability. It also encouraged Puntland citizens to increase their support for the SSC-Khaatumo administration as it prepares to operate within Somalia’s federal framework.
“The time has come to reassess Puntland’s political direction,” the Forum said, urging Puntland authorities to convene a large-scale political conference aimed at shaping the next phase of the region’s governance.
The SSC-Khaatumo administration governs areas of the Sool, Sanaag, and Cayn regions and has long contested Somaliland’s territorial claims in the north. Many view the federal government’s decision to recognize SSC-Khaatumo this month formally as an attempt to expand federal influence and de-escalate tensions in disputed territories.
