Puntland State in Somalia said it would operate as an autonomous government until the federal government drafted a constitution and a referendum was held.
In w three-page press release Puntland announced that the Constitution allows it to act as an independent government.
“Pending the completion of the Federal Constitution which Puntland has ratified, and then a referendum has been passed, Puntland will have the power of an independent government,” the statement said.
This statement from Puntland shows that it has directly cut ties with Villa Somalia, which has recently had a political dispute with them.
The statement came just days after puntland state President Said Abdullahi Deni accused the federal government of carrying out a plan that appears to return to a centralized federal government.
Said Deni, speaking on Sunday night at a ceremony commemorating his fourth anniversary as regional leader, said that he refused to sign two articles at the most recent National Consultative Council meeting because they were anti-federalist.
He added that the two articles appeared to limit the advice to the federal government.
Deni warned that the current plan to pass the constitution without resolving Somaliland and the Sool region issue would lead to Somaliland’s claim on the territory being legitimized.
During the fourth National Consultative Council meeting in Mogadishu last week, four of the five regional state leaders – excluding Puntland – agreed on a national security framework and delineating powers at the federal and state levels with the federal government.
