By WDM Editorial Board
Puntland cannot claim victory over insecurity while armed groups still roam its cities and revenge killings continue to dictate justice. Stability is not achieved by press conferences, temporary deployments, or political speeches. It is achieved when the state alone possesses the legitimate monopoly on force.
The reality is uncomfortable. Galkayo, Bosaso, Qardho, and even the capital, Garowe, still contain pockets of instability capable of igniting into armed confrontation with little warning. Clan-based armed groups, politically connected militias, and cycles of revenge violence remain a direct challenge to constitutional authority. Every day they remain untouched is another day the authority of the state is diminished.
Half measures are no longer enough.
Puntland’s government must move beyond warnings and demonstrate that the law applies equally to everyone—whether the suspect carries a government title, enjoys clan protection, or commands an armed following. Selective enforcement is not justice; it is an invitation to the next crisis.
The tragedy is not merely that violence occurs. The greater tragedy is that too often it ends without accountability. Families bury their dead, communities mourn, politicians issue statements, and then silence descends until the next shooting. That cycle has become dangerously familiar.
Law and order cannot coexist with parallel armed structures. Every illegal weapon, every unauthorized militia, and every individual inciting political violence must face the full force of the courts—not negotiations, not political bargains, and not temporary compromises.
Disarmament is not optional. It is the foundation of statehood.
Puntland has built a reputation over nearly three decades as Somalia’s most enduring federal state. That reputation will not be preserved by history alone. It must be defended every day through disciplined institutions, impartial justice, and unwavering enforcement of the law.
The message should therefore be unmistakable: surrender illegal weapons, dissolve unauthorized armed groups, end revenge killings, and prosecute those who organize or incite political violence. Human rights must be respected throughout, but respect for human rights does not require surrendering the rule of law. On the contrary, the rule of law is what protects those rights.
A government that hesitates before armed groups invites anarchy. A government that enforces the law fairly earns legitimacy.
Puntland has reached that moment of choice.
It must choose the rule of law over the rule of the gun.