When rumor becomes news and noise becomes “investigative journalism,” you know Somalia has entered another round of the absurd theatre called “Blame Puntland.”
This week’s episode: The Bosaso Military Base Saga.

Supposedly, cargo planes belonging to the United Arab Emirates have been taking off from Bosaso, heading to Sudan, dropping off weapons for the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). A shocking revelation indeed — except for one minor detail: airports in Somalia, including Bosaso, are under federal control for flight permissions. Every foreign aircraft, every cargo manifest, every clearance request is stamped — not by Garowe, but by Mogadishu’s own Civil Aviation Authority.

So let’s ask the forbidden question: Who signed on those flight permits?

The Flight of Convenient Hypocrisy

If there were indeed military flights to Sudan, Mogadishu’s men with stamps and suits had to authorize them. Planes don’t just land or take off in a federal republic as if it were a camel camp. The radar, the air traffic, the flight plans — all belong to the Somali Civil Aviation Authority under the Federal Government’s supervision. Yet, the blame machine points north.
Why? Because Puntland is the convenient scapegoat — the punching bag of Villa Somalia’s propaganda factory. When there’s failure in governance, blame Puntland. When there’s hunger in Baidoa, blame Puntland. When there’s chaos in Mogadishu, blame Puntland.

The Art of Smokescreen Politics

President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s administration, facing collapsing legitimacy, unpaid soldiers, angry elders, and expired mandates, suddenly finds oxygen in foreign scandals. Why address the rotting domestic front when you can wave the flag of “Bosaso conspiracy” and look patriotic?
The RSF issue becomes a perfect smokescreen to distract from Mogadishu’s political paralysis. Meanwhile, the same people pointing fingers in press conferences are the ones signing “classified cooperation agreements” with foreign powers in VIP lounges.

Puntland: The Perennial Villain

Let’s be clear — Puntland has neither the mandate nor the motive to fund wars in Sudan. But the political theatre demands a villain. Puntland is independent-minded, refuses to bow to Mogadishu’s centralist tantrums, and speaks the uncomfortable truth — and that is unforgivable in the Somali political circus.
So they invent treason where there is none. They turn routine flights into “secret operations,” trade partnerships into “covert deals,” and logistical cooperation into “UAE’s Bosaso conspiracy.”

The Real Treason Lies Elsewhere

The true treason is not a phantom cargo plane. It is in the Federal Government’s failure to safeguard the nation’s airspace, to maintain transparency, to build institutions that work. The real betrayal is turning the Somali people’s attention away from famine, insecurity, and corruption — to chase shadows in the Gulf of Aden skies.

Before they shout “Puntland is guilty,” perhaps they should look into the flight logs in Mogadishu. The ink stains might still be wet on their own desks.

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