A WDM Editorial
Disarm the Clan Militias. End Political Violence. Restore the Rule of Law.
A state cannot coexist with private armies.
It is as simple as that.
Every time a political disagreement in Puntland is settled with armed mobilization instead of constitutional process, the state loses a little more of its authority. Every revenge killing carried out in the name of clan honour, every politically sponsored militia, and every illegal gunman patrolling our towns chips away at nearly three decades of institution-building.
Enough.
Garowe was built to be the capital of a constitutional state—not a stage for armed political intimidation. Bosaso should be known for commerce, not convoys of gunmen. Galkayo has already buried too many of its sons and daughters to clan revenge. Qardho and every Puntland town deserve schools, investment, and opportunity—not fear, checkpoints, and technicals mounted with heavy weapons.
Let us stop deceiving ourselves.
There is no such thing as a “constitutional militia.”
There is no such thing as a “good armed group.”
And there is certainly no political objective noble enough to justify terrorizing civilians.
Those who reach for the gun after losing the political argument have already admitted they have lost the constitutional one.
The tragedy is that many who now challenge Puntland through violence contributed nothing to building it. Puntland was not created by militias. It was founded in 1998 through dialogue, reconciliation, sacrifice, and a deliberate rejection of the warlordism that destroyed Somalia after 1991.
Its founders understood a timeless principle: a government that does not control the legitimate use of force is not truly governing.
The late President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed understood this better than most. Agree or disagree with aspects of his leadership, he never confused state authority with militia authority. He understood that a state cannot negotiate its sovereignty with armed factions. The Constitution either governs everyone, or eventually it governs no one.
That lesson has never been more relevant.
Today, Puntland faces a growing danger—not only from terrorists, but from the normalization of politically motivated violence, clan revenge, and illegal armed groups operating outside constitutional authority. Every politician who quietly encourages militias for short-term political advantage is gambling with Puntland’s long-term survival.
But there is another truth that deserves equal attention.
The problem is no longer only the existence of militias. It is also the absence of justice.
Puntland has yet to demonstrate that political violence carries real legal consequences.
Nearly 38 people were killed in political violence in Garowe not long ago, yet the public has not seen those responsible—or those accused of organizing, financing, or instigating that violence—held accountable before independent courts of law. No transparent prosecutions. No public trials. No judicial closure worthy of a constitutional state.
That silence is dangerous.
Impunity is the oxygen of political violence.
When those who organize bloodshed are not brought before the courts, others draw the obvious conclusion: violence is survivable, accountability is optional, and the law is negotiable.
Nothing could be more destructive to public confidence.
Justice delayed is not merely justice denied.
In Puntland, justice ignored becomes an invitation to the next gunfight.
This is where the Puntland authorities face their greatest constitutional test.
Security operations alone are not enough. Arrests alone are not enough. Public statements alone are not enough.
The law must complete the journey.
Those against whom there is sufficient credible evidence of committing, organizing, financing, or inciting political violence must be investigated professionally, prosecuted independently, and tried fairly before competent courts. No sacred cows. No political favourites. No clan exemptions.
The law must become stronger than the gun.
Yet in doing so, Puntland must never abandon the principles that distinguish a constitutional state from those who seek to undermine it. Every security operation must respect human rights. Civilians must be protected. Due process must be guaranteed. Collective punishment has no place in Puntland. Justice must be firm, but it must also be lawful.
That is not a weakness.
That is civilization.
The founders of Puntland did not sacrifice to replace one armed faction with another. They built institutions so future generations would no longer have to live at the mercy of men carrying guns outside the law.
Puntland now faces a defining choice.
Either it restores the rule of law, disarms every illegal militia, prosecutes political violence without fear or favour, and reaffirms the state’s exclusive authority over the use of force—
Or it continues down the road where every political disagreement is settled by armed mobilization, every killing goes unanswered, and every act of impunity plants the seed of the next conflict.
The choice should not be difficult.
One Constitution.
One government.
One chain of command.
One system of justice.
Zero tolerance for political violence.
The gun did not build Puntland.
The gun must never be allowed to bury it.