Somalia: One Dead As Puntland Security Forces Clash in Bosaso

What the report says

AllAfrica, carrying a Radio Dalsan report from Mogadishu, said at least one Puntland Security Force soldier was killed on Sunday when PSF troops and Puntland’s Dervish forces exchanged fire in the Madar-Jiif area, located between Laag and the port city of Bosaso. Citing security sources, the report said the violence began after PSF personnel allegedly attempted to pass through a checkpoint on the road toward the city and were stopped by Dervish forces, leading to heavy weapons fire.

The reported clash adds to a wider dispute over command of armed units operating in Puntland, a semi-autonomous region in northeastern Somalia. Radio Dalsan reported that Puntland authorities accuse the PSF of being aligned with the federal government in Mogadishu rather than the regional administration in Garowe; the federal government had not publicly responded to that allegation, according to the article.

Following the incident, Puntland authorities sent reinforcements toward Bosaso. The report said Police Commissioner Muumin Cabdi Shire left Garowe with a convoy of at least 18 armed vehicles, while more troops were deployed around Maqaska, a key route toward Bosaso Airport, and Soddonka Road, a major city corridor. Residents described a rise in military movement as positions were strengthened.

Bosaso is Puntland’s main commercial port, making any sustained insecurity significant for trade, transport and aid routes. Radio Dalsan noted that neither Puntland nor Somalia’s federal government had issued an official statement by Monday evening, and that reinforced positions remained near strategic access routes. The report also cited Hiiraan Online as saying a related standoff had been eased after PSF forces agreed to return to Bosaso.