MOGADISHU, Somalia, April 21 (SMN) – Somalia’s federal authorities condemned on Monday a plan by Puntland’s regional president, Mentioned Abdullahi Deni, to determine a regional id company, calling it a breach of nationwide regulation and an try and undermine the nation’s unified identification system.
In a press release, the Ministry of Inside, Federal Affairs, and Reconciliation stated Deni’s proposal to create the Puntland Identification Company (PID) violated the mandate of the Nationwide Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA), the federal physique answerable for issuing nationwide IDs. The ministry accused Deni of overstepping his authority and instructed the transfer was politically motivated, tied to ongoing tensions between the federal authorities and Puntland’s management.
“The choice taken by President Deni undermines the rules of statehood and legality,” the ministry stated. “It threatens the federal authorities’s efforts to determine a cohesive nationwide identification system, which is essential for governance and repair supply.”
NIRA, established beneath the Identification and Registration Act of March 2023, is tasked with issuing distinctive Nationwide Identification Numbers (NINs) to Somali residents and authorized residents each within the nation and overseas. Supported by the World Financial institution and technical help from Pakistan, the company started printing nationwide ID playing cards earlier this 12 months, marking a key milestone in Somalia’s efforts to modernize its identification infrastructure.
Puntland, an autonomous area in northeastern Somalia, has had ongoing disagreements with the federal authorities, significantly over constitutional amendments and power-sharing preparations. In March 2024, Puntland introduced it could govern independently till constitutional modifications proposed by the federal authorities have been authorised by means of a nationwide referendum, additional escalating tensions.
Deni, re-elected as Puntland’s president in January 2024, has criticized the federal authorities for what he sees as actions that undermine Somalia’s federal construction. His determination to determine the PID has been interpreted as a problem to federal authority amid these broader political disputes.
The ministry’s assertion urged Puntland to align with federal insurance policies and assist the implementation of the nationwide ID system, emphasizing that NIRA’s work is crucial for enhancing entry to companies, combating monetary crimes, and advancing Somalia’s state-building efforts.
Puntland authorities haven’t but responded to the federal authorities’s condemnation. The continuing dispute provides to the complexities going through Somalia, which is already grappling with a long-running insurgency by al-Shabaab militants, recurrent pure disasters, and the intricacies of federal-regional relations.
