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

What the report says

Puntland’s authorities said their forces took control of a military camp in Galkayo, a divided city in central Somalia, after clashes with troops aligned with the federal government. Al Jazeera reported that the fighting broke out on Wednesday morning near the airport in northern Galkayo, when heavily armed Puntland units, backed by vehicles, moved against a camp held by soldiers who had recently pledged allegiance to Mogadishu.

Puntland President Said Abdullahi Deni described the assault as a security operation and said it was meant to warn those he accused of working against the regional administration. Puntland police later said the operation had ended with more than 100 arrests and the seizure of weapons, vehicles and other military items. Residents told AFP the exchange of fire lasted more than an hour and included mortar rounds, some of which landed in residential areas. Casualty numbers were not immediately confirmed.

According to the report, the federal government and commanders on the other side had not responded at the time of publication. The confrontation adds to a pattern of armed disputes between Somalia’s central authorities and regional administrations, reflecting wider tensions over power-sharing and President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s efforts to change the constitution and centralize governance. Puntland has been among the most outspoken critics of that push.