By Ismail H. Warsame
Puntland’s leaders have perfected the art of political sloganeering. For years, they’ve reminded Mogadishu that the Federal Government has only four constitutionally mandated jurisdictions: foreign policy, national defense, national treasury (currency and finance), and citizenship/passport control. Everything else, they say, belongs to the States. It sounds principled — a rallying cry for federalism and constitutionalism.
But slogans are not strategy.
The latest E-Visa debacle proves that Puntland’s political class has mistaken stubborn posturing for visionary statecraft. By refusing to recognize the Federal Government’s electronic visa system — reportedly rejecting a fee-sharing proposal — Puntland has managed to create a situation where ordinary residents are now paying double: once to Mogadishu, once to Garowe.
When Federalism Becomes a Tollbooth
Let’s be clear: a national passport and its supporting visa system fall squarely under foreign affairs — one of the very four areas Puntland itself concedes to Mogadishu’s jurisdiction. By resisting the federal E-Visa, Puntland is not “defending federalism”; it is building a second tollbooth at the airport gate, extracting revenue from its own citizens and diaspora visitors.
The losers in this political tug-of-war are not Mogadishu bureaucrats — they are ordinary Puntlanders, businesspeople, students, and diaspora families forced to pay extra for what should be a streamlined, single process.
Visionless Politics, Costly Consequences
What we are witnessing is not simply a bureaucratic mishap — it is the cumulative effect of bad decision-making and lack of vision by Puntland’s current administration. Instead of negotiating a fair revenue-sharing formula or developing a long-term federal-state harmonization strategy, Garowe has opted for confrontation and quick cash grabs.
And the damage does not stop there. Some Puntland ministers (Finance, as example) have alienated not only the Federal Government but also international partners whose cooperation is critical for Puntland’s development:
Broken Trust with Donors: Key international donors have quietly reduced their direct funding to Puntland after repeated policy U-turns and accusations of financial opacity.
Suspicion from Global Financial Institutions: The World Bank and IMF have voiced concern over Puntland’s lack of cooperation and its reluctance to integrate with national fiscal reforms — jeopardizing Puntland’s access to future development programs. President Said Abdullahi Deni was either kept in the dark or an accomplice in his ministers’ administrative misconduct to harm Puntland State policy and economy. Some of those ministers still remain close advisers of the President.
Diplomatic Missteps: Garowe’s confrontational approach has frustrated UN agencies and international NGOs, resulting in delays in infrastructure projects and humanitarian aid delivery.
Investor Flight: Several foreign investors have paused or cancelled projects in Bosaso and Garowe due to mixed signals from Puntland’s ministries, who at times contradict each other on taxation and legal guarantees.
This is the same short-termism that has cost Puntland its influence in SSC-Khaatumo, its credibility in democratization efforts, and its leverage over the federal government. At this rate, Puntland risks becoming a provincial fiefdom that survives by taxing everything that moves — while forfeiting its role as the intellectual and political engine of Somali federalism.
The Bigger Picture: Puntland’s Shrinking Strategic Depth
An administration that cannot think beyond next quarter’s tax revenue cannot lead a federalism project that was once the pride of Somalia. The E-Visa fiasco is a warning sign: Puntland’s political elite are content to fight Mogadishu over scraps while failing to articulate a coherent long-term vision of governance, economic development, and constitutional order.
Unless Puntland reverses course, harmonizes its systems with the Federal Government where constitutionally mandated, and rebuilds trust with international partners, it risks alienating its own population, isolating itself diplomatically, and losing its claim as the pioneer of Somali federalism.
WDM Verdict
This is more than an airport nuisance — it is a political failure with a price tag. Puntland’s residents deserve better than double taxation wrapped in the flag of federalism. True federalism requires cooperation, not endless confrontation; vision, not reaction; institution-building, not rent-seeking.
Puntland’s founding fathers imagined a state that would lead Somalia into constitutional order — not one that would charge its own citizens twice just to come home, while simultaneously alienating the very donors and partners who could have financed a brighter future.
WDM 