Puntland targets ex-speaker's immunity over Sanaag separatist push

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Monday July 7, 2025

FILE – Puntland MP and former Parliament Speaker Abdirashid Yusuf Jibril attends a regional meeting in Garowe, Somalia. Authorities in Puntland are moving to strip Jibril of his parliamentary immunity over allegations that he is backing efforts to align the Sanaag region with SSC-Khaatumo.

Garowe (HOL) — Puntland’s regional parliament is preparing to vote on revoking the immunity of former Speaker Abdirashid Yusuf Jibril, who stands accused of leading efforts to detach the Sanaag region from Puntland and align it with the SSC-Khaatumo administration.

Lawmakers supporting the motion say the revocation would pave the way for criminal charges and a warrant for Jibril’s arrest on grounds of sedition and undermining Puntland’s territorial integrity.

The move follows Jibril’s public appearance Saturday in the village of Ceelbuh, where he was seen wearing military fatigues alongside politicians organizing a conference with clan elders from the Warsangali community. The meeting, aimed at rallying support for joining SSC-Khaatumo, would mark a formal declaration of withdrawal from Puntland’s authority over eastern Sanaag.

Puntland security forces quickly intervened, deploying troops to shut down the gathering and block access roads. Despite this, Jibril and his allies from Sanaag and the neighbouring Haylan region insist the meeting will proceed, citing what they describe as the constitutional right of communities to determine their political future.

“The people of Sanaag have a right to decide who represents them. Puntland has sidelined them for years,” said one official involved in the effort, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the political sensitivity of the matter.

Abdirashid Yusuf Jibril served as Speaker of the Puntland Parliament from 2019 to 2023 and remains an active MP. He played a central role in passing anti-piracy laws and revenue-sharing agreements but fell out with President Said Abdullahi Deni over election delays and leadership disputes.

Puntland has accused the federal government in Mogadishu of covertly backing the initiative, alleging that support from Villa Somalia is emboldening local politicians to shift allegiance. Federal officials have denied those claims.

The Sanaag region is both resource-rich and strategically located, offering Puntland access to the Red Sea and untapped mineral deposits. A loss of control over the area would significantly weaken Puntland's influence and reduce its tax base and maritime reach.

The conflict also exposes longstanding grievances from the Warsangali sub-clan of the Harti-Darod, who argue that successive Puntland administrations have favoured the Majeerteen in government appointments and development funding.

Lawmakers are expected to table the motion to revoke Jibril’s immunity later this week, a move that would allow Puntland’s attorney general to press charges, including sedition—a crime that carries a sentence of up to 20 years under regional law. In anticipation of unrest, Puntland authorities have deployed additional security forces to Ceelbuh and neighbouring towns to maintain order and prevent further mobilization by separatist factions.

SSC-Khaatumo, a self-declared administration formed in 2023 after the ouster of Somaliland forces from Las Anod, has since positioned itself as an alternative political vehicle for Harti-majority regions seeking autonomy from both Puntland and Somaliland.

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