Villa Somalia’s Shadow War on Puntland
By Ismail H. Warsame | © 2025 WDM
Introduction: The New Battleground
In today’s Somalia, war is no longer fought only with militias and mortars — it is fought with money, memes, and manipulated narratives. The real front line is digital. And if our investigation is correct, Villa Somalia under President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has quietly opened a new campaign — one that targets Puntland State not with tanks, but with federal cash, proxy agents, and internet propaganda designed to fragment its autonomy and capture its political future.
This is not federalism. This is a hostile takeover.
I. The Funding Trail: Following Mogadishu’s Money
In the shadow corridors of Villa Somalia, untraceable “emergency funds” are reportedly diverted from donor-financed budgets and security allocations. These funds don’t go to rebuilding roads or schools — they allegedly bankroll proxy influence networks.
The Alleged Pipeline:
- Federal Treasury → “Special Projects” Fund
- NGO & Civil Society Fronts → Grants & Consultancies
- Local Elders, Influencers, Media Owners → Social Media Campaigns
But here is the most explosive allegation: internationally donated development funds intended for Puntland’s infrastructure projects are being deliberately frozen by Mogadishu.
Road-building funds, health program disbursements, and even teacher salary support packages are said to be held back — not because Puntland failed compliance, but because Villa Somalia uses the money as leverage:
“Cooperate with Mogadishu, or watch your roads crumble.”
This is economic warfare by bureaucratic chokehold. Puntland’s citizens suffer stalled projects while Mogadishu’s loyalists boast about “holding Garowe accountable.”
When Puntland clashed with Mogadishu over E-Visa fees, the propaganda machines went into overdrive: Facebook pages accusing Puntland of “secessionism,” TikTok videos portraying Garowe as “anti-federal,” and WhatsApp rumors about imminent “federal sanctions.”
II. The Digital Troll Army
Enter Anti-Puntland elements, the networks long accused of running psychological operations. Today, they have gone fully online. Thousands of burner accounts, Telegram channels, and paid TikTok activists flood the discourse with carefully crafted messages:
SaveSSCFromPuntland Hashtag trends just as Laascaanood erupts.
FederalismNotClanism is amplified another hashtag whenever Puntland asserts its constitutional rights.
Deni’s photo is memed into a villain whenever he resists Villa Somalia’s agenda.
This isn’t random noise — this is coordinated information warfare. It is designed to make Puntland youth question their own government’s legitimacy and to reframe Mogadishu as the only source of order.
III. Laascaanood: The Prototype Operation
The Laascaanood crisis was not just a territorial war — it was a political laboratory.
Puntland fought, bled, and spent heavily to liberate SSC from Somaliland. Then, as soon as the dust settled, Villa Somalia swooped in with “peace conferences” and “reconciliation forums.” Within months, SSC had its own “Federal-recognized administration,” effectively cutting Puntland out of the equation.
The message was unmistakable: Puntland could fight, but Mogadishu would rule.
IV. The Political Endgame: Building a Puppet State
The long-term objective, as this WDM investigation frames it, is chillingly clear:
- Create a Parallel “North-East State”: Recognized by Mogadishu but not Garowe.
- Split Puntland’s Federal Representation: Send loyalists to Mogadishu who will vote with Villa Somalia.
- Negotiate Directly: Secure oil deals, security compacts, and donor funds bypassing Puntland’s government entirely.
If successful, Puntland becomes a geographic region with no political teeth — a federal unit in name only.
V. The Fallout: A Federation in Name Only
If Villa Somalia continues down this path, Somalia is not heading toward a stronger federation — it is heading toward a Mogadishu-centered unitary state disguised as federalism. That is a recipe for more rebellion, not stability.
Somali politics thrives on negotiated coexistence, not digital colonization. Turning federal money into propaganda weapons — and freezing internationally donated development funds — will deepen mistrust and accelerate the cycle of fragmentation.
Editorial Verdict: Somalia’s Digital Empire
If even half of these allegations hold water, Villa Somalia has traded nation-building for Banadir fiefdom. It is governing with hashtags instead of consensus, bots instead of ballots, and propaganda instead of partnership.
Somalia cannot survive another round of centralizing authoritarianism. The future of federalism depends on restraint, dialogue, and respect for the autonomy of member states — not on secret budgets, internet troll armies, and psychological warfare campaigns.
WDM Calls to Action
Transparency: Donor funds must be ring-fenced and delivered to Puntland without political manipulation.
Digital Ethics: Somalia’s political actors must agree to a code of conduct against bot-driven campaigns and paid disinformation.
Constitutional Discipline: Federalism must mean partnership, not dominance.
Warsame Policy & Media Network (WAPMEN) 