GAROWE (KAAB TV) – Puntland’s Minister of Relief and Disaster Management, Ubax Abdirashid Mohamed Hirsi, has strongly refuted recent claims made by the Chairman of the Somali Disaster Management Agency (SODMA), Mohamud Macallin. The SODMA head alleged that Puntland’s President, Said Abdullahi Deni, refused to permit humanitarian assistance to reach the recently liberated Almikaad areas, previously under the control of Daesh militants.
In a pointed response, Minister Ubax dismissed the allegation and questioned the quality and appropriateness of the aid SODMA provides. She accused the agency of distributing expired medications and irrelevant supplies in past relief efforts. As an example, she cited SODMA’s delivery of expired drugs and outdated COVID-19 materials to Moqokori district in the Hiran region, during a time when residents urgently needed life-saving items such as blood-clotting agents, as they were engaged in intense fighting against al-Shabaab.
“Puntland does not need expired medicines and ineffective materials,” Minister Ubax said. “You brought expired COVID-19 supplies to Moqokori when the people there needed proper medical treatment. Puntland didn’t ask for masks—we’re not facing a COVID-19 crisis. We need meaningful aid, not political stunts.”
Her comments come in response to statements made by Chairman Mohamud Macallin during a speech in Jalalaqsi, Hiran region. He claimed he had personally reached out to President Deni, requesting clearance for SODMA to evacuate injured Puntland soldiers and deliver humanitarian assistance to affected civilians. According to Macallin, President Deni declined the request, allegedly due to ongoing political tensions between Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Prime Minister Hamsa Abdi Barre.
The dispute underscores growing tensions between federal and regional authorities, with humanitarian aid and military coordination increasingly entangled in the country’s broader political divisions. While SODMA maintains that its mission is purely humanitarian, Puntland authorities have grown increasingly wary of what they perceive as politicized and low-quality relief efforts.
As the situation in Almikaad and other recently liberated regions remains volatile, the need for effective, coordinated, and apolitical aid delivery remains urgent—raising serious questions about how Somalia’s federal and regional governments can bridge political divides in times of humanitarian need.